Wandering Star
by Himeko
Summary: Someone is after Sakura to make her pay for the mysterious past of Clow. How will she handle the shocking revelation his identity? Filled with lots of action and romance, this is not to be missed. Yes, E+T is included. (FINALLY updated!)
1. Chapter 1: The Time Has Come

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura. Everyone should know by now that CLAMP does.

Foreword: Just a warning that there might be really ridiculous mistakes in this story as some of the chapters are first drafts. Grammatical errors, wrong sentence structure, etc. Do pardon them, and I hope that you will take time to write me a short review so that I can improve from feedback. Thank you, and happy reading ^^

**Wandering Star  
Chapter 1**   
  


_Where am I?   
_

The world surrounding her suddenly formed into a sphere, trapping her. She looked around her, puzzled and afraid. She could feel the state of unrest beyond the walls of her entrapment, yet she could see nothing besides her reflection against the cold walls of the sphere. Pounding her fists against the walls, she struggled to find a weak spot. 

  
There is no weak spot, she realized. _This kind of magic… it was perfect, without a single flaw. It could only be the magic of Clow himself._

_But… why? …   
_

Why would Clow be doing this to her? She placed a hand on the wall, and was shocked to find that the strong power she felt only a moment ago had already weakened. She closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts beyond the walls of the sphere. Perhaps, she thought, she could sense more than just the feeling of unrest if she focused her thoughts, like Clow taught her to.   


It was no use. She could feel nothing else. _This shield, it is simply too strong yet_. Even when she could feel its power weakening, the sphere was still too powerful for her to penetrate. She felt the wall again. As she had expected, the power continued to decrease. Slowly but surely, she felt it decreasing in strength. Anytime now and she would be able to break through the wall. She pulled back from the wall, ready to strike again. She took a deep breath and charged forward. Just as she was about to make contact with the surface however, she felt something. An incredible sense of lost. She didn't know what it was, but it weakened her, so much so that she felt she was about to collapse right before hitting the wall.   


*Wham! * She hit the wall. The sphere started to crumble around her, revealing an enormous blinding light. She shielded her eyes, cowering in her weak state. The sense of lost was still there. It was the lost of something great, as if a large part of her had just died, leaving her severely weakened. She staggered forward, and then dropped to her knees, the weakness taking over her completely. 

Around her, the light was starting to dim. She squinted, barely making out the outline of Clow's mansion. The smoke began to lift. After effects of an explosion, she was sure of it. As the surroundings finally began to visualize around her, she felt a chill run through her body. She looked straight into the distance, unable to believe what was before her eyes. She rubbed a hand over her eyes. _Maybe it's just after effects of the blinding light. Maybe this is all a dream. _She looked again. 

"Clow-sama?" she said, barely a whisper. She struggled to stand up, rushing as quickly as she could. 

"Clow-sama!" This time her tone was louder, more anxious; the fear in it was already showing. 

"Clow-sama!!!" Her scream pierced through the air this time, echoing through the emptiness inside of her.

*~*~*~*~*

"Hoe?" Sakura looked up drowsily. She had fallen asleep in class and Terada-sensei was standing beside her table calling her.

"Gomen nasai Terada-sensei!" Sakura said hastily, flushed with embarrassment at the realisation.

"It's alright, Sakura. Daijoubu ka? You've been sleepy the whole day," said Terada-sensei, his face wearing a look of concern.

"Daijoubu! I'm fine, really," Sakura replied with a smile. 

Just then the bell rang, signaling the dismissal of the class. Tomoyo and Syaoran both looked at Sakura worriedly. Looks like the previous night's battle was taking its toil on Sakura, thought Syaoran. 

"Alright everyone, remember to do the mathematics assignment due tomorrow," said Mr Tedara. 

"Hai!" the class responded in reply. 

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? It's time to go home now," said Tomoyo, shaking Sakura gently. Sakura had dozed off again while the class filed out. 

"Oi Sakura." Syaoran picked up her bag for her as she opened her sleep-laden eyes. "Common, let's get her home," he said to Tomoyo. 

_Why am I so tired… _thought Sakura as she walked with Tomoyo and Syaoran. _Oh, the battle… now I remember. _Some crazed magician had come to Tomoeda the night before in pursuit of the Clow cards. Pretty much the usual to Sakura by now. The only problem was when these battles happen a few nights in a row. That would be when her energy would give out on her, leaving her exhausted and sleepy. She knew there would be more to come in time. The magicians kept coming to her and she would have to fight, and fight, and fight. It was a depressing thought that Sakura was in no mood to think about. 

She pushed it out of her mind with difficulty, trying to remember happier things, like Syaoran coming back to Tomoeda to stay forever with her. It had been around 2 years since Syaoran returned from Hong Kong. _And those two years have been my happiest years so far._ She looked at Syaoran. He'd grown a lot since the time he returned. Sakura felt herself beginning to blush. She couldn't believe she still blushed from just looking at him, even after so long. 

"I'll see you two tomorrow at school ok? Take care of Sakura, Syaoran," said Tomoyo, smiling. The fork in the road would mean her departure. "My mother has something she wants me to do today, so I need to get home as early as possible. I'm sorry I can't walk with you all the way. 

"Oh that's ok, Tomoyo. See you tomorrow then. Bye!" Sakura waved to her friend as Tomoyo turned to leave. 

"Bye," said Syaoran. He looked at Sakura as she continued to wave. He couldn't believe he'd been so lucky as to be with her this long. He thought his mother would have sent for him again. It was a good thing she hadn't. _At least, not yet. _With Sakura and her continuous stream of battles, it would be best to stay and help her. _She keeps worrying me._ This was not the first time Sakura was worn-out from battles. He loved her. All he wanted was to protect her. Hong Kong and whatever other matters could wait. Sakura had to be safe for sure before he would allow himself to leave. 

"Let's go, Syaoran," Sakura smiled as she took his hand in hers. Syaoran blushed and followed her lead. 

"Anou neh, Syaoran, would you be able to stay with me today? Onii-chan won't be home today. He's staying over at Yukito-san's. Otto-san won't be home till late, and I don't want to be alone," Sakura said, her voice gently pleading with him. Syaoran blushed. _Even after so long… I still can't stop blushing stupidly. _Yet it was rather amazing how Sakura always managed to act perfectly fine even though circumstances begged to differ.

"Aa" 

"Wai!" Sakura smiled happily. We can have lunch together and we can do our homework together. 

"Sakura, are you sure you're all right?" He had to make sure. 

"Yes I'm fine… just a little tired…that's all…" Despite her words, Sakura footsteps slowed to a still, then she fell back onto Syaoran. 

"Sakura!" Syaoran held her in his arms, the same old fear creeping into his heart. Sakura opened her eyes a little at his worried cry. 

"I'm sorry, Syaoran… I just… felt… sleepy again…" Sakura said before closing her eyes again, sagging into his arms. Syaoran carried her up in his arms, kissing her head lightly before continuing the walk to her house. _I just hope Touya doesn't catch me and get some weird ideas like before… _

*~*~*~*~*

"Tadaima," Tomoyo said as she stepped into her house. She knew no one would hear her. No one ever did when she returned home everyday. Her mother was still at work. _At least I managed to let Sakura-chan and Li-kun have some time together._

She walked up to her room and placed her bag on the floor. Straightening up, she faced the framed picture on her wall. _Eriol. _How long had it been since she'd last seen him? 4-5 years? She had been writing letters to him since then, but they were always nothing more than that. Letters. They were just friends. Tomoyo felt her heart ache with the thought. She had been attracted to Sakura once, but that was a long time ago. True, she still enjoyed making costumes for Sakura and filming her every battle, but the situation with Eriol was different. Her attraction to Sakura seemed like a silly childhood fantasy now, compared with Eriol. Then again, wasn't being attracted to Eriol a fantasy as well? He would always be in England; his job in Tomoeda was finished. What more, she suspected that he and Mizuki-sensei were more than just friends. Tomoyo flopped down onto her bed, images of Eriol running through her mind.

"Hiragizawa-kun" she whispered to herself as she lay on her bed. _How I wish you were here. _

*~*~*~*~*

Syaoran placed Sakura's delicate figure down on the sofa. _Thank goodness the house keys were easy to find._ If not, he would've had to stand outside her house, digging through her bag frantically like some crazed maniac. The neighbors would definitely have gotten ideas then. He sat himself down on the couch opposite Sakura, gazing at her lovingly. _She's so beautiful, even in her sleep._

Sakura began to rouse a little, yawning and stretching. "Hoe? How did I end up here?" She looked around her, puzzled. "Syaoran-kun, did you bring me home?"

"Aa. You fell asleep again on the way back"

"Hontoni arigatou gozaimasu, Syaoran. I'm so sorry to have troubled you"

"It's ok Sakura, so long as you're alright. Are you hungry? I can cook us some lunch if you let me use the kitchen."

"Oh yes, lunch! Kero-chan said he wanted me to buy him some cakes on the way home! Hoee!!! I forgot…"

"I'll go get them for you. You stay here and rest till I return ok?" Syaoran said, bending down to give her a kiss on her forehead. Sakura blushed.

"Hai. Arigatou, Syaoran."

"Sakura!!! Are you back already?" yelled a voice from her room. "Did you get me the cakes?" Kero flew out from her room just as Syaoran left.

Sakura looked at him nervously. "Anou… I fainted on the way home… and I forgot to get them…"

"WHAT!!!" Kero shouted in her face.

"Syaoran has gone to get them for you! I'm sure he'll be back soon enough. I'm sorry I forgot, Kero-chan."

"Iie, I meant you fainted again? You should get more rest then. That guy last night was a real pain."

Sakura was surprised. "You mean you're not really angry at me?"

"Of course not. Common, we'd better get you some proper rest. You look pretty bad." Sakura just had to smile at Kero. Sometimes it was hard to guess what he would do. There were times he would get very angry if she forgot his 'treats', and there were times like this when he was extremely caring. _A real guardian._

Sakura was getting up to go to her room when suddenly her bag started to ring. She stooped down to unzip the bag, taking out the vibrating handphone that Tomoyo had given.

"Hai, moushi moushi!" she said cheerfully.

"Sakura-san?" answered a deep and familiar voice.

"E... Eriol-kun?" Sakura almost dropped the phone in surprise.

Ok, some translations for those who don't know.

Clow-sama: the '-sama' thing is to when addressing someone of high order, eg. a princess (ohime-sama)  
Hoe: Sakura's signature word. She says this when in shock or in puzzlement. For those who know Rurouni Kenshin, it kinda works like the 'oro' word Kenshin says  
Gomen nasai: means sorry, in a very polite way  
Tedara-sensei: the '-sensei' is for addressing teachers  
Daijoubu: I'm ok, or when the 'ka' is added, are you ok?  
Aa: yes  
Wai: an expression of happiness  
Honto: really  
Arigatou: thank you, when 'gozaimasu' is added it is in a polite form  
Hai: more common term of 'yes'  
Moushi moushi: 'hello', used when answering the phone  



	2. Chapter 2: An Old Friend Returns

Ok, another foreword. I've changed the 'Syaoran' to 'Shaoran' in dialogues 'cos that's the way it's pronounced in the show. Same goes for Kero. The actual spelling is Cerberus, but I've changed it to Keroberus in spoken dialogue 'cos that's the way it is. I feel more satisfied with it that way, because it follows the series better (even if it might confuse some people). And I'm not gonna use the Cardcaptors names (Li, Madison, Eli and so on) simply because I think that those characters made up by Cardcaptors are... well... I don't like them (for all those Tomoyo fans out there, especially the Madison character. It just messes the poor girl up completely). So go on and flame me if you aren't satisfied. Now on with the story. 

**Chapter 2**

"Hai, Sakura-san. It's me, Eriol. It's good to hear you voice," said Eriol, slightly amused at Sakura's shocked response. 

"Is everything alright? What made you call me after so long?" 

"I'm coming to Tomoeda soon to discuss something important with you." 

"Hoe?" 

"I'll explain the details to you later when I'm in Tomoeda. Kaho wishes to speak with you now," Eriol said, passing the phone over to Kaho. 

"Hello Sakura! It's sure been some time since I've spoken with you," said a womanly voice over the phone. 

"Mizuki-sensei! Waii! I'm so glad to hear from you after so long," Sakura was simply delighted to hear from her teacher from the Clow card capture days. 

"How have you been doing lately? I've heard that a great number of magicians have come in search of you." 

"Hai. A great number of them have come. It's been so tiring trying to fight them off. They come so often," replied Sakura, a sad tone in her voice evident. 

"Oh… well don't loose hope Sakura-san. I'm sure you can do it. Everything will be alright, remember? I have faith in you." 

"Domo arigatou, Mizuki-sensei! I can't wait for you and Eriol-kun to come back to Tomoeda." 

"By the way, Sakura, how have you and Shaoran been doing?" 

"We've been really happy since he returned! Shaoran has been helping me in my battles. I'm glad he hasn't been called to return to Hong Kong yet." 

"That's really nice to know Sakura," said Kaho cheerfully. "Well then, Eriol and I will be seeing you soon. We'll come to visit you as soon as we arrive ok?" 

"We'll all be waiting for you!" 

"Sayonara for now then." 

"Sayonara." 

Sakura hung up and began up to her room, a delighted smile on her face. 

"What was that all about?" asked Kero, flying up beside her. He had gone to the refrigerator while she answered the call. 

"Eriol-kun and Mizuki-sensei will be coming back to Tomoeda soon. Eriol said he had something to talk to me about though," answered Sakura happily, despite her sleepiness. 

_Eriol's coming back? _Kero had a nasty feeling about it. Even the last time with the Void card, now better known as the Hope card, Eriol had stayed in England. Why would he be coming this time? It had to be something serious. 

"Did he say anything about why he was coming back?" 

"No… he said he'd discuss the details when he gets here." Sakura walked up the stars, using the railing to keep her balance. "Kero-chan, I'm so tired…" 

"Oh… alright… just this once." With that, Kero transformed into his magnificent form. Then he placed the half-asleep Sakura on his back and walked up to her room. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Do you know what it is, Eriol?" asked Kaho. 

Eriol shook his head solemnly. "Iie. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it strongly. It's a weird feeling, as if something of mine is returning; yet it is foreign. It is very strange." Eriol looked out through the window towards the stars. "Very strange indeed…" 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Sakura, I'm back!" said Syaoran as he entered the house again. 

"Shh! You'll wake her up!" Kero said as he flew towards him. 

"Oh… Well I brought back the cakes and Sakura's lunch anyway." 

"CAKES???" 

"Yeah, Sakura asked m… " Before Syaoran could finish his sentence, Kero charged at him, grabbing the bag from his hand and knocking him over at the same time. "KEROBERUS!" 

"What is it, KID? Wanna pick a fight?" Kero asked, his mouth stuffed with cream cake. 

"Grr… " Was all Syaoran managed to get out, remembering the time Kero had flattened him in his true form. 

"By the way, KID, Sakura mentioned that Eriol called. He said he would be returning to Tomoeda soon." 

"Eriol returning to Japan?" said Syaoran, as he tried to ignore the 'kid' comment. Being 16 wasn't exactly 'kid' material anymore. Then again, when did he allow Cerberus to call him a 'kid'? 

"Mmm… yeah according to Sakura, he would discuss the matters only when he returned. I think it's something important though…" Kero put down the cake as he spoke, his expression turning serious. "Eriol didn't return the last time with the Void card, neither did he at anytime to help Sakura with all the oncoming magicians and wizards." 

"I guess we should inform Yue as well then. Sakura… didn't seem the slightest bit worried did she?" 

"No, she was probably too tired to have thought about the situation much. I had to carry her up to her room." [sweat drop] 

"I'll go check if she's ok." Syaoran said as he climbed up the stairs to Sakura's room, different reasons for Eriol's return forming in his head. _Suppose I should consult mother? No, she would not know much of it. _Syaoran sighed. He pushed open the door gently, walking as quietly as possible into her room. The chair beside her bed stood invitingly. He sat, watching her sleep. Her peaceful expression was still full of the childish innocence she never seemed to have lost since young. _Sakura. _How he wished the fighting would stop. Strong she may be, but she was still a young girl, incapable of continuous battle periods. _She isn't strong enough for that kind of battle yet. _Wars. Suppose somebody would posses enough power to cause a huge conflict between the two… Syaoran shivered at the thought, then looked at Sakura's face again. He gently caressed her cheek, thinking of her strong will and fighting spirit (which is possibly only when she feels those around her are threatened). _I wish I could protect her… always._ Now that was a joke, knowing that her powers already exceeded his, _potentially by a lot. _If only… 

Syaoran woke up with a start. He must have fallen asleep while watching her. _Oh yeah, probably because I was helping her last night. _Sakura was apparently awake too, looking at him with her emerald green eyes. _Why am I resting on her bed?_ Syaoran thought embarrassedly. He must have dozed off and fallen on her bed unknowingly. Syaoran turned a brilliant shade of red. Never in his life would he have been caught in that position. 

"I umm… Gomen!" Syaoran said, hastily getting up and off her bed and into a stiff standing position. 

"Shaoran-kun, it's ok," said a slightly blushing Sakura. _It was so nice to look at him in his sleep._ She took his hand gingerly. "Thank you, Shaoran, for watching over me." 

"I… I uhh… …" Syaoran stumbled over what he should say. Finally he came out with an embarrassed "You're welcome", though it sounded pretty weird coming from him. "I'll get your lunch now if you want." 

"Oh yes, lunch!" Sakura sat up and looked at the wall clock. It read 5.30pm. "HOE!! It's that late already?" She shot straight out of bed. "Otou-san will be back for dinner! I should start cooking now… Will you be staying a little longer?" 

"Yeah, you know I don't have anyone waiting for me at home. I'll help with dinner if you wish." 

"Arigatou Shaoran!" Sakura threw herself onto Syaoran, giving him an enormous hug. Syaoran hugged her back, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes. 

"Are you sure you're all right now? If you're still tired I can take care of the dinner for you," said Syaoran worriedly. Sakura nodded her head vigorously. 

"I'm ok. Let's go prepare dinner together." 

"Yokata," Syaoran said, before bending down to give her a light kiss on her lips. 

"Shaoran…" the blush was reddening. 

Syaoran continued to look at those beautiful emerald eyes, just as they gazed back at his. He hugged her again. _I love her… so much… _

"I love you too, Shaoran." Sakura said lovingly. 

"Huh? How did you know what I was thinking?" 

"Shaoran, we've been through this topic before. I can sense what you're thinking sometimes, especially when the thought is a strong one." Sakura giggled. "Ok then, let's go prepare us some dinner!" 

Sakura and Syaoran both headed for the kitchen, hand in hand. It seemed like a strange thing to do, especially to Syaoran. But if Sakura feels secure doing it, he thought, then he would hold her hand for as long as she wanted. Sakura could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she walked to the kitchen. _He kissed me. _True, it was no big thing. The only thing was that Syaoran seldom kissed her. It was usually hugs and such. So she considered every kiss he made special. _Even if it was a little one. _They arrived to find a bulging belly Kero lying on the counter, the evidence of his tummy still present beside him; the cake box. 

"Kero-chan!" 

"Eh? Said the drowsy-eyed sun guardian. 

"You finished the WHOLE cake?" Sakura nearly screamed, picking up the empty cake box. 

"Oh its finished? Heh heh… I didn't know that…" Unfortunately for Kero, his innocence was transparent to Sakura. 

"The cake was meant to be for Otou-san too! You'd better help us with dinner then, Otto-san will need something to fill up for the cake." 

Kero reluctantly agreed. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"OHAYO!!! Am I late again?" said Sakura as she dashed into class, the usual morning procedure. Naoko was carrying her stopwatch and the rest of the girls were cheering and clapping.

"Wow! That's a new record Sakura-chan! You're really getting faster. Then again, you are getting taller as well. Maybe the legs are helping," Naoko said, smiling as she pressed the stop button on the stopwatch. 

Sakura smiled sheepishly as she went to her seat. Syaoran had arrived already, early as usual. They were sitting next to each other in the class. He smiled and greeted her as she took her seat. Tomoyo came over to join them soon. 

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!" said Tomoyo. 

"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" 

"It's been a week since Eriol last called. Any news yet Sakura?" asked Syaoran. Sakura shook her head. 

"Iie, but I think he should be coming soon. He said he would be… I don't suppose he'd make us wait long if it were that serious as Kero-chan says it is." She smiled. "I can't wait to see Mizuki-sensei again." 

Tomoyo felt her heart squeeze within her chest. _Eriol. _How long more would it be before she saw him again? She remembered how excited she was when Sakura told her that Eriol was coming to Tomoeda. _And I still am. But what about… Mizuki-sensei? _As happy as Sakura seemed to be about Kaho returning with Eriol, sadly Tomoyo couldn't say she felt the same. Tomoyo had once observed Eriol looking at Kaho with those 'gentle eyes', as so she called it. _The gentlest ever, _she remembered. _I wonder if… he'd ever look at me that way. No, I've got to stop thinking about these things. Sakura-chan needs me, and I don't think I'm much of a use in a day dreaming mood. _By now, Sakura was giving Tomoyo the 'daijoubu?' look already. _Guess I've better stop talking to myself for now. _

Just then the bell rang and Tomoyo returned to her seat. She was now seated beside Rika. Rika had grown quite a lot. Now 14, she looked almost like a young lady. Some even mistook her as an adult already. The two of them suited each other though, both being mature. 

The teacher walked in and Tomoyo prepared her books and stationery, trying to get herself to stop thinking about Eriol. _Eriol. _But the name kept ringing in her head uncontrollably. It was a hopeless battle. She'd been like this for the past week since the news came of his coming return. _It's amazing I managed to keep up the steady work pace. I don't think Mother would've liked it if any of my subjects slipped. _Tomoyo sighed dreamily as she flipped through the pages of the textbook. Her eyes kept to the correct place, yet her mind wandering a thousand other places. Perhaps if she tried… _no, Eriol wouldn't let go of Mizuki-sensei that easily. _She knew that depression would be along the way if she didn't stop thinking about the matter. Still, she wished so much, that she could have just this small happiness in her life. She'd lost Sakura to Syaoran. She accepted that long ago, her feelings of Sakura slowly changing from then on. But then they moved to Eriol. A look of sadness crossed Tomoyo's eyes as she continued to stare blankly at the page of her book. 

"Tomoyo-chan, daijoubu?" whispered Rika worriedly. "You seem really troubled. Is there anything I can help you with?" 

Tomoyo stared in surprised for a moment. Had she been THAT obvious?She looked at Rika, admiring her love for Terada-sensei. _Maybe, I should tell her. Maybe she could help… _Tomoyo thought hopefully. Sakura wouldn't have known what to do even if Tomoyo asked for her help. 

"Rika-chan, will you be free after school? I have something I hope you can help me with," Tomoyo said. 

"I'm free. I hope I'm able to help you with whatever it is that's bothering you," Rika said, smiling encouragingly. 

_I hope so too, _thought Tomoyo. She hated being in this condition. She used to be able to handle everything by herself; used to still be confident even when she knew Sakura's heart belonged to someone else. With Eriol though, things seemed to be different. Her feelings were suddenly increasingly hard to control. She wasn't that sure of herself anymore. _I really hope you can help, Rika. _

Sakura looked at Tomoyo from her seat. Was it just her or did there seem to be something wrong with her best friend recently. True, Tomoyo still smiled all the time, still made her magnificent costumes all the time, and she always answered she was ok whenever Sakura asked if there was anything wrong or bothering her. She turned to look at Syaoran. He was looking straight ahead at the board, concentration written all over his face. She smiled secretly to herself. The lesson happened to be Japanese. _Would he know anything about Tomoyo-chan that I don't? _She thought to herself about it, then decided to drop the subject. After all, perhaps it was just her being over worried. Maybe there was nothing wrong with Tomoyo. But that look in her eyes, Sakura could almost swear, there was never a time when Tomoyo's eyes looked as blank as there were now.

*~*~*~*~*

"Rika-chan," said Tomoyo nervously.

"Hai?"

School had ended and Tomoyo decided to walk with Rika. _I'll just walk with Sakura tomorrow._ Her head seemed to spin a little as she tried to gather up her thoughts as to what to tell or ask Rika. _Should I even be telling her? Sakura should be the one I'm confiding in. Rika-chan didn't even know Hiragizawa-kun well. _She walked a few more steps, observing that Rika was looking at her curiously. _Her eyes show concern. Such gentle eyes… its no wonder why Terada-sensei likes her. _Gentle eyes. Where had she heard that before, she thought sarcastically. Finally she took a deep breath; _here goes nothing… _

"You've been together with Terada-sensei for quite some time already haven't you? I was just wondering, how was it you got him to like you?"

Rika thought for a moment, her brow slightly creased. Then she smiled and stopped in front of Tomoyo. "You like someone don't you, Tomoyo-chan? Just be yourself. I'm sure whoever it is will love you sooner or later. I've never met another person as kind and thoughtful as you, Tomoyo-chan." Rika took Tomoyo's hand in hers. "Tomoyo-chan, only you can help yourself, I'm sure you know this too. You are wise and mature, you'll be able to see yourself out of this, don't worry too much about it.

"But the person whom I like," said Tomoyo blushing a little. "I think he's attached already. I'm pretty sure he's found his 'someone'."

"Did you tell him yet?"

"No. I haven't been able to due to circumstances."

"Well then, how would you know he's definitely found his 'someone' if you haven't even tried? Perhaps whoever it is, is just a close friend," Rika said encouragingly.

_She's right, I haven't even tried. For all I know, Eriol might not be together with Mizuki-sensei. _Tomoyo smiled at the realization. _I'll get my chance to try when he returns to Tomoeda._

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Rika-chan!" Tomoyo said as she hugged Rika. "You've really helped me."

"You're welcome. I have to go now, I'm rushing to meet him."

"Oh," said Tomoyo knowingly. "Have a good time, and thanks again for helping me."

"Bye!" Rika waved as she turned round the bend in the road.

*~*~*~*~*

Sakura reached home just as Touya and Yukito were opening the front door. She really seemed to be getting faster nowadays.

"Ah! Sakura-chan, you're back early!" said Yukito.

"Yeah, Kaijuu has been learning to speed up her pace a little." There was no doubt of who had said that line.

"ONII-CHAN! Kaijuu ja nai mo!" wailed Sakura waving a fist. Somehow after all those years, she still had that name. _Unbearable. _Her only comfort was that Yukito didn't call her that as well.

"Sakura-chan, your brother and I bought lunch home. Let's have lunch together," said a cheerful-as-usual Yukito.

"Yeah, but I have to get to work after that."

"Hoe? What are you working as now, Onii-chan?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, I took up a job at the library. That way I can help Dad whenever he needs books for his research. The only set-back is that my shift stretches from after lunch till late evening." A look of disappointment crossed Touya's face as he said this. Yukito knew why though. With the new job, Touya wouldn't be able to look after Sakura as much as he would like to, since the working hours were during the period when she was home. Sakura also slept early as usual, even for her age. By the time Touya came home, there wouldn't be much time before Sakura headed off to bed.

The trio walked into the house, Yukito all reared up for lunch. Just as they stepped in, Sakura felt an immense aura of power surrounding the area. It was none other than the aura of Clow's power. _Eriol is here. _She looked around her, trying to see if he was coming to join them for lunch. Strange, _I don't see him anywhere, but I can feel him. _

"Something wrong, Kaijuu?"

"Hoe? Oh it's nothing," said Sakura as she turned back to face her brother. _Wait a minute, didn't he just call me… _"Kaijuu ja nai mo!!!!"

As soon as lunch was done and cleared up after, Touya took his leave, reluctantly. Kero came down after he left, carefully hiding himself behind the doorway.

"Return to your true form," he whispered, looking at Yukito. At once, magnificent wings grew out of Yukito's back, covering his entire body. They reopened again to reveal the lean silver-haired moon guardian. "Did you feel it?" Kero asked Yue, flying out of his hiding place.

"Yes. The one born of Clow has returned," said Yue as he withdrew his wings.

Sakura walked into the living room only to be scared by the sudden appearance of Yue. Kero sighed. The yell echoed through the house.

"Sakura, after so long, you still haven't gotten used to it yet?" Kero asked.

"Gomen! I didn't expect you to change so quickly, Yue-san," Sakura said sheepishly.

"As usual," growled an amused Cerberus.

Yue coolly ignored the comments. "Sakura-sama, perhaps you'd better check if he's coming."

"Hoe? Check if who is coming?" [sweat drop by Kero and Yue] _Could she still be so unaware of her surroundings even after this long? _The guardians thought hopelessly.

"Eriol," said Yue. "Have you not felt his presence yet?"

"OH THAT!" Sakura said. "Gomen! I had no idea what you were talking about." Sakura flushed with embarrassment at her ignorance, especially in the presence of her own guardians. Sakura nodded hastily in agreement and walked to the door. She opened it only to reveal the form of a young man standing right outside.

"HOEEE!!!"

"Nice to see you again, Sakura-san," said a familiar voice filled with amusement. "I knew I would scare you if I popped up in front of you." The chuckle was noticeably similar to that of Clow's.

**Translations  
** Iie: no  
Sayonara: goodbye  
Arigatou: thank you  
Gomen: sorry  
Yokata: thank goodness/ I'm glad  
Otou-san: Dad  
Ohayo: good morning  
Daijoubu: are you ok?  
Kaijuu: monster (Touya always calls Sakura this, not 'squirt' like in Cardcaptors)  
Kaijuu ja nai mo: I'm not a monster  
Onii-chan: big brother 

** Notes  
**Ok, I know I accidentally left out some translations from the first chapter. Gomen 6^_^ well they're here I think, except that I'm trying to avoid repeated translations so those words translated before won't appear again (that is, if I remember .). Hmmm... I think this chapter's a lot more satisfying than the first, as in there are more happenings and stuff. Its not as dull. Please could I have some reviews, if its not too much to ask? I'd really really appreciate knowing what you think of the story so far (yes, I know its still pretty dull.... no life yet...), or if not, whether the presentation is favorable to you viewers (if any 6^_^). For those who are wondering, the story's barely started. The mystery character in the front is a new character I have added in. ^_^ we'll see more of her later neh? Right, that's about it. Remember to review ok? heheh....turning into a naggy old grandma here... 


	3. Chapter 3: Troubling News

Incoming Eriol~!!!

**Chapter 3**

Eriol sat himself on the couch offered by Sakura. Despite possessing powers, he was still undoubtedly tired from the trip. Kaho came in shortly after him. She looked as radiant as ever; her face showed no sign of the years that had passed. There was not a single wrinkle on her face, nor were her eyes lined with the age. She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress that shone purely of 'Kaho taste'. Sitting herself next to Eriol, she smiled at Sakura. Sakura felt as if she was that 10-year-old girl again looking up at her Mathematics teacher again. Eriol on the other hand had grown to look mature beyond his years. Sakura could still recognise him, but his looked more like Clow to her than Eriol. Then again, there was always a certain mature look that Eriol possessed, and also the look of Clow written on his face. He had grown taller over the years, now almost matching up with Kaho. They looked more like a couple when the walked together now. Yue had noticed this. 

"KONNICHIWA SAKURA-CHAN!!!" said a lively-as-usual Nakuru as she bounded in ecstatically. She smiled as Sakura, but the look was quickly overtaken by disappointment at Touya's absence. "MOU!!!… Suppi!!! Touya isn't here!!" she wailed, hugging on to the dark coloured cat look-a-like that was flying beside her. 

"Let go of me Nakuru. I'm not your replacement for Touya," Suppi said, annoyance showing on his face. 

"It's so nice to see all of you again!" said Sakura cheerfully. She beamed as she looked at the familiar faces one by one. 

"Suppi! How are you? Lets go play one of my video games together again," said Kero dragging off an increasingly annoyed Suppi into Sakura's room with a sinister grin. As soon as they had gone and everyone had stopped the sweat-drops, Kaho turned to look at Sakura again, a motherly look shining in her eyes. 

"It is indeed good to see you again, Sakura. I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long. We came as soon as we could." 

"Mizuki-sensei, I'm really delighted to see all of you here! And no, you didn't take too long, I hardly noticed!" Sakura said. "I'll go get some refreshments for you, you all must be hungry from the trip." 

"Iie," said Eriol. "We had our lunch already. No need to trouble yourself." Eriol smiled, then the look on his face darkened. Kaho took note of the change; she looked slightly worried as Eriol continued. "Sakura-san, may I ask if you've had any battles this past week since I last called?" 

Sakura was in thought for a moment. _There hadn't been any battles _… she realized. The last one was on the day before Eriol called. _That one. _The battle that had exhausted her almost completely. She looked at Eriol. His voice had changed when he asked her that question. He was talking like Clow now. Something serious was definitely up ahead. "No. Now that I think of it, there weren't any battles after you called." 

"I thought so. The magicians have stopped coming for the time being." 

"Why have they suddenly stopped? Was it your returning that held them back?" 

"Eriol can no longer hold back even people, let alone magicians," explained Kaho. "He isn't the cause of their retreat." 

"Rightly so. I have to tell you something, Sakura. This is extremely serious. It is the reason that I came back to Tomoeda. I came back to help you." 

"Hoe?" Sakura said, slightly frightened by the seriousness in the way Eriol was speaking. She wished Syaoran were there with her at the moment. Kero and Suppi had returned from Sakura's room. Kero had transformed and so had Suppi and Nakuru. Ruby moon was not smiling as usual this time. She stood beside Yue, listening attentively to Eriol. That was no doubt, odd for her character. Yet there she stood, looking most like Yue in expression. Yue was mildly surprised by her. 

"What is it that's happening?" asked Yue. 

Eriol took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Recently I have sensed a great power source heading for Tomoeda. This power is coming from there," Eriol said, pointing out the window towards the sky. "What's unusual about it is that I feel it possesses the same power that I do. However, it is foreign, it might even be considered… Alien. Whatever it is, I cannot be to sure at the moment." 

As he paused, Sakura could feel her heart skipping its usual rhythmic beat. _Alien? Heading for Tomoeda? _

"The reason why the magicians have stopped coming to challenge you this past week is because they have felt the same thing which I have. They have sensed the coming of this foreign object," Eriol continued. "I myself have tried to locate what exactly this is, whether or not it is to be considered a threat." 

"… And?" Sakura asked nervously, the tension in the room seemed to have affected her voice for it trembled. 

"What I have discovered so far is strange. This thing that is heading for Tomoeda is a meteor." 

"A METEOR?" the room echoed with the voices of its residents at the revelation. 

"How can a meteor be umm… I mean, how is it possible for just a meteor to contain that much magic that you could sense it?" Sakura asked inquisitively. 

Eriol closed his eyes. "That, Sakura, is what I've come to talk to you about. This is not an ordinary meteor; it's not a common piece of rock flying through space. This rock contains energy similar to mine, strange as it may seem." 

"But, why would this meteor have your magic then?" 

"I don't know. Clow himself wouldn't have existed in space during any part of his life or else I would've known. He also had no reason to travel there." 

Sakura looked nervously around the room. _Everyone's so tense. _She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "So… are you saying that this meteor contains positive power since it is of Clow?" 

"Sakura, if I were sure, I wouldn't have needed to consider coming to Tomoeda. What worries me is that although this magic is similar to mine, I can still feel that it is foreign." Eriol adjusted his glasses and sighed. "I'm sorry, this sounds awkward. I assure you though, that I had no intention of making my words contradictive." 

"Oh," Sakura responded, not quite sure of what she should say. 

"I expect the meteor to be making contact in about a week or so. I have been studying its movement and size and have concluded that there isn't enough mass for a disaster of any sort. It will probably land as some small object, the diameter about the length of your bed perhaps." 

Sakura looked at Eriol. His expression was calm. _If only I could be more like him. _The meteor would probably hit, whether she liked it or not. Eriol would not have come if he weren't so sure of it. _What I'm worried about is if people are going to get hurt. A rock with the diameter the length of my bed is still considerably large. _They didn't even know which part of Tomoeda it was going to hit. _Maybe Eriol can find out. _She turned to look at Yue, hoping for some to find some reassurance. His brow was creased, his mouth drawn in a straight line, his arms folded. Obviously Yue was in deep thought. Sakura couldn't stand the atmosphere. It seemed more like the end of the world than just a small matter like Eriol made it seem (through his calm expression and voice). "I… I think I'll go call Tomoyo and Shaoran to inform them that everyone's gathered here," Sakura finally blurted out, the silence was beginning to be unbearable, not to mention the straight faces.

Sakura reached for her phone and dialed. Behind her the guardians were starting to converse more with Eriol. 

"Moushi moushi. Daidouji residence," said the soft and gentle voice that answered the phone. 

"Tomoyo-chan! It's Sakura here." 

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said delightedly. "Is anything the matter?" 

"Eriol-kun is back from England. He's here at my house now. Could you come over please? Everyone's here for the discussion." 

There was a noticeable silence over the phone. 

"Hoe? Tomoyo-chan, are you there?" 

"Oh, sumimasen! I'll be over in minute." 

Sakura hung up. _Hoe… Tomoyo-chan sure did sound a little weird_. Maybe it was just some bad reception. _Oh well, I still have to call Shaoran. _Sakura was about to dial in Syaoran's number when suddenly the leading man himself burst through her door. 

"GOMEN! I'M LATE!" Syaoran leaned on the side of her door and panted heavily. 

"Hoe?" said a surprised Sakura. Everyone was staring at him. 

"I felt Eriol's presence and rushed over as soon as possible," explained Syaoran after taking a few more breaths and calming himself. "I figured he'd come here so I ran here as fast as I could." 

"Koko de Sakura, you left the door unlocked? Such irresponsibility…" Cerberus sighed and shook his head. 

"HOEE!!! I FORGOT!"

[sweatdrop, sweatdrop] 

*~*~*~*~* 

Eriol looked across the table. _Sakura-san seems to be taking it quite well so far. _He had brought the whole group out for dinner at a restaurant with the idea that abusing his powers weren't so bad if done in moderation. He was even considering taking care of the bill with a snap of his fingers. But no, Sakura wouldn't have liked it much if he did that. He had ordered a salad to finish his meal fast, that way he could think about the situation a little longer before talking with Sakura again. He hated the feeling of this… uncertainty. Clow was able to predict the future, why couldn't he, the reincarnate, at least confirm the safety of this small town in Japan? It was more than disturbing, more like annoying. He frowned in concentration. He must find out more… he had to… but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice that asked a most ironically simple question, "Is everything ok?" 

Eriol turned to look at the person who spoke. His gaze met with a pair of deep-set blue eyes, held fast with concern. Astonished at their beauty, he tried to look at the face which those enchanting eyes belonged to. _Tomoyo. _He stared for a moment longer, trying to think of something to say. _Those eyes… why haven't I noticed it before? _Once again his thoughts were interrupted by that sweet and soft voice. 

"Daijoubu ka, Hiragizawa-kun?" 

"Yes, I'm fine." He lied. But that didn't matter much. Would it help if he told her that he wasn't sure if the crisis at hand could mean certain disaster that which would be irreversible by any means of magic? No, definitely not. She smiled, and those eyes softened with instant relief at his lie._ She really is a gentle and caring person. I wonder if her feelings are still being wasted on Sakura-san. _Stop it, he told himself. It's not nice to be thinking such things. He relaxed and returned Tomoyo's smile. Was it just him, or did her face just redden a little? It didn't matter though; he had more important things on his mind. 

He signaled so the waiter and ordered another large plate of octopus balls. He'd noticed that Cerberus was tugging at Sakura's leg from under the table, begging for more food. While waiting for the food, he lifted the tablecloth to take a peek at Spinel Sun. The dark sun guardian was red with drunkenness and dancing to his own music. Eriol chuckled and released the tablecloth. His attention returned to the meteor, only to find Kaho looking at him, her eyes silently questioning. _She must have been wondering about the tablecloth. _"Just checking on Suppi," he explained. Kaho drew up the tablecloth as well, only giggle and put it down again. _She got the idea. _

Sighing, he tried to concentrate again. His thoughts were racing, his mind suddenly transported to a different environment. Everything was dark except for a few specks of light distributed unevenly. _This is it, space. _He had been able to mentally transport himself into the outer realms of the Earth. _Now to try and find that meteor. _His pervious attempts at doing that one simple task were just about as successful as getting Nakuru to dress like a guy. The closest he got was finding its bull's-eye, which of course happened to be Tomoeda. He moved through the darkness, relying only on the light gained from the stars. Still, he couldn't help but feel as if he was searching for a needle in a haystack. _Try a tiny rock in the whole universe. _

His mind moved swiftly, traveling probably near the speed of light. He searched for what seemed like an eternity, seeing nothing but endless blank, with an exception of the other traveling meteors. _The stars. _If only this meteor were a star too, and a big one at that, then it would sure be a lot easier to find. Alas for him, he knew it would probably only glow when entering the Earth's atmosphere. His mind continued its journey as Eriol got sucked deeper and deeper in his concentration, the restaurant noises becoming nothing more than a soft humming sound. Then he passed a colourful planet, a globe of blue and green… _Earth_. He stopped for a while, mesmerized by its beauty. As he gazed on at his home planet, a huge dark mass drifted past him. Eriol stared at it; he knew he'd finally found what he was looking for. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Eriol! Eriol, answer me!" Kaho said worriedly as she shook Eriol, trying desperately to waken him. Everyone at the table was crowded around the dark-haired boy. His muscles were limp and he sagged like a rag doll when Kaho shook him.

"You have to help me, Sakura. He often does this and doesn't come to until a long time later. I'm worried for him," Kaho said urgently. "We aren't sure of the dangers there are if his mind keeps traveling this way. Its extremely strenuous on his body." 

Sakura looked anxiously at the magician before her. The waiter beside her looked worried as well. "Should I call the ambulance, Miss?" he said, addressing Kaho. 

"No, its fine. Just leave us for a second." Kaho turned to look at Sakura as the waiter left; her eyes pleaded silently with her. 

"I… I'll try my best, Mizuki-sensei," Sakura said. She moved her chair to sit face to face with Eriol and nervously placed her hands on each arm of his chair. She closed her eyes. Her hands were shaking slightly. Just then she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, holding it tenderly, assuring her. _Shaoran-kun. _She didn't need to look to know who it was. Encouraged, she focused her thoughts, trying to probe into Eriol's mind. 'Eriol-kun!' she called out mentally. 'Where are you? Please come back, wherever you are, please… come back.' 

The group gathered around watched in relief and Eriol's eyes slowly blinked open. Sakura opened her eyes at the sound of the relieved sighs, to find herself faced with an apologetic-looking Eriol. "I'm sorry, I guess I got carried away." 

"Yokata," said Kaho. "I'm just glad you're fine." She held his hand and smiled. "Did you manage to find anything this time?" 

Sakura listened attentively as Eriol adjusted his glasses and sighed. She couldn't help but notice the disappointed look on his face. "I was very close to finding out what the meteor was. Sakura called me just as I was about to enter its protective layer." 

"Oh," said Sakura. _So that's why he looked so upset. _She realized that Eriol would probably never get another chance to be that close to the meteor. _So I completely ruined it! Now we won't know if the meteor is dangerous or not! _"Eriol-kun… Gomen…. Gomen nasai! I shouldn't have disturbed you." 

Eriol looked surprised for a second, then he smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Sakura-san. You were right to call me; I shouldn't have stayed there so long anyway. I made all of you worried over nothing." He looked at Kaho just has he finished his sentence. She looked back at him warmly. 

Syaoran bent down and hugged Sakura, seeing that there was a tear running down her cheek. "It's alright Sakura, you didn't do anything wrong," he whispered comfortingly in her ear. Then he turned to Eriol. "What will happen now?" 

"Oh its quite safe I think. I managed to get close enough to confirm that the meteor isn't harmful. Like I said, it's radiating with Clow's magic. I should've trusted what my instincts were telling me. It's positive magic." 

"Honto?" asked Sakura meekly, peering over Syaoran's arms as they were still around her in a warm hug. 

"Hai, Sakura-san." 

*~*~*~*~* 

Yukito walked behind the group as they left the restaurant. Through the passing years he'd found out more and more about this 'other half' of himself, and also about the other surrounding events. Sakura had tried to explain to him as simply as possible about the Sakura cards which she possessed and how his other half was in relation to them. _It was all so confusing. _He shook his head a little at the memory. But then Touya was always there whenever he felt he was in confusion. _Touya knew all along, about Yue. _He'd come to understand too that Touya had saved his life. _Yue's, as well as mine. _And in return he was to protect Sakura. His steps slowed as he looked ahead at the adorable honey-coloured hair girl walking with the rest of the group. She was no longer little Sakura-chan; no, she was nearly a woman now, and a very beautiful one at that. _I would never mind protecting her, not ever. _

"So Tsukishiro-kun, are you full after that meal?" asked Nakuru who was walking happily beside him. 

"Huh? Oh yes, the meal was very filling," he smiled, "Hiragizawa-kun was nice to sponsor the dinner." More than nice, he mentally added. He and Nakuru probably made up half of the bill. 

"Yeah, Eriol's always so nice," she said smilingly, before she bounded up ahead beside Eriol. _Eriol. _He'd been introduced to this character along the way too. He felt his other half's uneasiness whenever around him. _Clow, that's what he calls him. _He knew Yue had some feelings for this person, like the ones he held for Touya. He picked up his pace as he hurried to join the rest. They were in some heated discussion he presumed, about that meteor. 

As he caught up with them he noticed that Tomoyo was herself distanced from the group. She seemed to be staring ahead distractedly. "Tomoyo-chan, daijoubu?" he asked. He supposed he stunned her for a second for she looked at him blankly.

"Oh I'm ok, don't worry about me." He smiled in relief at her answer. She smiled back. _Sakura-chan sure has a nice friend. _He walked closer to the group and picked up some of their conversation.

"Anou, Eriol-kun, where will you and Mizuki-sensei stay for the night?" Sakura asked.

"I'll be able to think of something. We might book into a hotel," Eriol said.

Just then Tomoyo rushed up front. "Hiragizawa-kun, I could offer my house as a place to stay for the rest of your time here. I'm sure we have lots of spare rooms left," she said quickly.

"That would be very kind of you. Arigatou, Daidouji-san."

"It's no problem," she said as she smiled.

Before long, the group parted. Sakura was walking with Syaoran and Kero while Tomoyo with Eriol, Kaho, Nakuru and Spinel Sun. "Matta ashita!" they said to each other as they went in their different directions.

"Matta ashita!" Yukito said too as he waved goodbye to them. He continued to look on as the shadows of Tomoyo, Eriol, Kaho and Nakuru faded in the distance. The sun had almost disappeared from the night sky, leaving its last bit of radiance that clouded the sky with its red and orange glow. Yukito was about to take his leave as well when he saw Eriol turn back to look at him. Then he smiled and turned back, continuing to walk with Kaho hand in hand. In his heart, Yukito could feel an immense feeling of depression, and it obviously did not belong to him. …_Yue is lonely… _

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations  
**Konnichiwa: hi  
Mou: expression of frustration  
Sumimasen: excuse me  
Koko de: by the way  
Honto: really  
Matta ashita: see you tomorrow  
**  
  
Scribbles  
***sigh* I'm a little upset that I only got... 1 review so far. But I guess I can't blame anyone; the story's barely started. Hmm.... I'm trying to introduce more of Yukito/Yue in here since he's gonna be playing quite a big part later (all Yue fans to 'YAY!'). I focused a bit on Eriol's and Kaho's relationship, but at the same time failed to put in Tomoyo's emotions well enough. Guess you can't have everything. 


	4. Chapter 4: The Arrival

**Chapter 4**

Tomoyo? Is that you? called Sonomi as Tomoyo entered the living room. 

Tomoyo said as she walked over and embraced her mother. As usual, Sonomi was working late, her laptop set on the coffee table where she was. 

Is that the design for the new phone model, Kaa-san? asked Tomoyo, as she leaned over to look at the laptop screen. 

Yes it is. Isn't it lovely? There are going to be so many move features in this one. I'll give some tryouts to you as soon as we get them ready. Sonomi smiled then looked over her laptop to see Eriol, Kaho and Nakuru standing at the door. Nakuru was holding a black stuffed toy cat. Tomoyo, are those your friends? 

Oh, Hai! They need a place to stay Kaa-san, they just came from England. 

I'll take care of it then, they can have the guest rooms on the west wing, she said as she got up and walked over to the group, extending a hand to Eriol. I'm Daidouji Sonomi, Tomoyo's mother. 

Hiragizawa Eriol, said Eriol as he accepted the handshake. He smiled as he introduced the rest of the group to Sonomi (although he left out Spinel Sun on purpose). 

Ah! I see your friend here likes stuffed animals too, Tomoyo! said Sonomi as she saw the black cat-look-a-like that Nakuru was hugging. [Suppi: -_-*] I think that would make a great design too! It'll match perfectly with that other stuffed toy thing that Sakura-chan has, neh? Sonomi said excitedly as she rushed back to her laptop, a huge smile stretching across her face. 

Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Tomoyo called. It was no use; Sonomi was glued to the laptop. Embarrassed, Tomoyo turned back to face Eriol. . I'll lead you to your rooms then, since my mother ummm. seems a little busy. 

As she walked, Tomoyo could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. She felt as if million butterflies had been trapped in her stomach. _Eriol's here, in my house._ She felt her cheeks getting warm as a blush spread itself across them. _I should take this chance to tell him. _She turned around to take a peek at Eriol and the others, only to find Eriol walking hand in hand with Kaho. And there was that gentle' way which he was looking at her which sent a pang through her heart. She continued to watch them sorrowfully as they looked at each other with gentle eyes'. Disheartened, she turned away from them, her gaze wandering back to the corridor ahead of them. ___Maybe I should let them have a suit then * ___

We're here, Hiragizawa-kun. It took pains to continue calling him that way. 

Soka, well then, arigatou, Daidouji-san. Eriol released Kaho's hand to open the door for her. The doorway widened to reveal a huge suit. Its windows stretched to the ceilings, and overshadowing them were heavy curtains made of purple-coloured velvet trimmed with gold, the colour of royalty. There was a king-sized bed to the left of the room with covers that were the same royal purple with elaborate patterns drawn on them in gold. It had four tall golden bedposts with a veil that hung from them, weighed down by golden tassels. To the right were a fireplace and a bookshelf. An exquisite leather chair stood near the fireplace on a beautiful Persian carpet. There you go, Kaho, this room's for you. I'll see you tomorrow morning. The room really is beautiful. 

Kaho nodded in agreement as she stared a moment longer before entering. Oyasumi nasai, Eriol, she said before closing the doors behind her. Eriol turned to Tomoyo. 

So, where's the next room? he asked. Nakuru was standing next to him with the same questioning look on her face. 

I ummm, I thought you were going to share a room with Mizuki-sensei. Tomoyo said, slightly confused. 

Oh no, Kaho and I have always had separate rooms, even in our house in England, chuckled Eriol. 

. So maybe she still had a chance. Tomoyo's heart lightened at the thought. Maybe she would tell him her feelings then, but probably not yet. She felt she wouldn't be able to take the heartache if he by chance, rejected her. She wanted to be sure of her position first.

But if you'd like, Eriol continued, I could always share the next room with Nakuru and Suppi.

Ok then, you can have the matching suite. Its just here, Tomoyo said, pointing to the next room. They walked over to it and Eriol, Nakuru, and Spinel Sun found themselves staring into a room the colour of emerald green with a layout identical to the one before. This will be your room if plan to stay here longer, Tomoyo said as she smiled. 

Arigatou, Daidouji-san. You're really too kind, said Eriol as he and Nakuru stepped into the room. Matta ashita. He smiled. Behind him Nakuru was waving vigorously without realising she still had Spinel Sun in hand [Suppi: -_-***] 

Oyasumi nasai, Hiragizawa-kun, and Nakuru-san. Tomoyo turned to walk back to her room. Her head was spinning with a thousand thoughts. Why had it always been so easy to analyse other's feelings in the past, like with Sakura and Syaoran, but when it came to her own personal matters in modern day its was just the opposite. _Why? _Even when she was attracted to Sakura she was in complete control over the matter. She didn't go around like a sick puppy, brooding day and night over her own feelings. No, she was sure of herself then. _So why can't I be sure of myself, now? _What was making matters so different from those in the past? She leaned her back against the corridor wall and sighed. Perhaps, it was time for a mother-daughter talk. 

* ~*~*~*~* 

[a few days later] 

Sakura was sitting upright in a split second. Her eyes were dizzy with the aftermath of the shock as she tried to focus on who had woken her up. Kero-chan! You scared me! she said as the fuzzy yellow mass in front of her focused to form the outline of the sun guardian. He was apparently, covering his ears. 

I told you long ago not to scream into my face like that! said Kero. My poor ears he moaned as he continued to clutch huge ears on the sides of his head. And to think all I wanted to do was wake you up for school so that you wouldn't be late, he mumbled to himself. 

Oh. Gomen nasai Kero-chan! said Sakura, giving him a quick little bow. I best get up then. She stretched her limbs, then pushed the covers off her and slid her feet into the slippers at the side of her bed. 

Will you be meeting with Eriol and the others after school? asked Kero. 

I think so, we decided on that last night. And today's the last day of school! said Sakura delightfully. She counted her Sakura cards and kept them in a beautifully decorated pink box (courtesy of Tomoyo), and then she packed it into her bag along with the rest of her schoolbooks. 

Ok, then I'd better come along as well, said Kero as he flew into her bag through the small opening made by the zip. BE SURE TO BUY SOME SWEETS OK? 

[sweatdrop] said Sakura as she zipped up the bag hastily, not wanted Touya or her Dad to hear Kero. Kero's muffled cries for food went on. Downstairs, Fujitaka had prepared breakfast for the family. 

Fujitaka called up the staircase. Breakfast is ready! Come and get it while its still warm! 

Sakura yelled as she thundered down the stairs. she greeted her dad and her brother. Then she turned to look at Nadeshiko's photo. 

Ohayo Kaijuu. You're early today I see, observed Touya. 

NAN DES TEH?? Sakura waved her fist angrily while Touya chuckled contentedly. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Wai!!! I'm so glad school has ended! said Sakura as she stretched her arms above her head. She was walking out of class with Tomoyo and Syaoran at her side. Students were still rushing out of school as they left the school grounds. 

We have to go to Daidouji's house now don't we? asked Syaoran. Eriol had called them up the previous night to inform all of them. _I wonder, what's the progress on the meteor. _He also mentioned that the meteor would be making contact soon. ___I wonder, how soon? ___

said Sakura. She looked at him inquisitively. Shaoran-kun, what are you thinking about?

Nan demo nai, he said reassuringly. He took Sakura's hand in his as they continued walking with Tomoyo. The two girls started to discuss about lunch, but Syaoran was deep in his thoughts. _When the meteor hits, will I be able to help Sakura? What if all goes wrong still? _He heard bits of the girl's conversation as he continued to think. 

lunch absolutely delicious love it. 

Really? can't wait 

made some new costumes! he had no doubt who that line belonged too. wear it meteor hits! He looked at Sakura who was already blushing [with a huge sweatdrop]. Syaoran couldn't help but think of how adorable his girlfriend looked whenever she was flustered. He was sure Tomoyo-chan would be video camera ready when the meteor hit. It was typically Tomoyo. 

Not too long later, they arrived at the Daidouji mansion. The huge iron gates creaked open as the three teenagers walked into the beautifully trimmed garden. The side bushes lined a pathway that led to the main door. Syaoran plucked a flower from the bush and gently slid it into Sakura's hair. He blushed as she looked in surprise at him, then turned away bashfully as she snuggled lovingly against his side; her wordless thank you. 

You two go on without me, the maid will lead you up to the dinning room. I have to go get something first, said Tomoyo as she smiled and ran towards the east wing. 

Hoe? I wonder where she's going now? said Sakura. 

They followed the maid into a large dinning area where Eriol, Kaho, and Nakuru were waiting for them. Suppi was lying on the under the table, waiting for the food fest to begin. Sakura and Syaoran sat to the right of Eriol facing Kaho and Nakuru; Eriol was sitting at the head of the long rectangular table. As soon as Sakura placed her bag on the ground, Kero rushed out to meet Suppi. 

Nice to see you again, Sakura-san, and you too Li-kun, said a smiling Eriol. Before he could continue, Tomoyo rushed into the room. 

Sorry to have kept all of you waiting, but I just had to go get the packages Mother said would arrive today. She opened the bag she held in her hand and displayed its contents. These are the new handphone models that my mother just came up with. Lying on the table with three pairs of pink-coloured phones with Kero key-chains, and three dark purple-coloured phones with Suppi key-chains. She passed the pink phones to Sakura and Syaoran, and the dark purple phones to Eriol, Kaho, and Nakuru. We'll be able to keep in touch this way, Tomoyo said cheerfully. 

Sakura looked at her phone while memories of the first time Tomoyo gave them a phone resurfaced in her mind. She smiled. Arigatou, Tomoyo-chan! Syaoran on the other hand, seemed to look as if he detested having another pink phone. Demo Tomoyo-chan, what about Yukito-san? Sakura asked. 

Well my mother didn't get to see him, so she didn't make one for him, Tomoyo explained. 

Lunch was served shortly, though Eriol seemed to be urging speed as they consumed the luxurious spread of food before them. Tomoyo also took note to dismiss the maids early for privacy. he said after everyone had finished eating (with the exception of Nakuru), I'm something very important to tell you. The meteor is very close to Earth now. It might even be entering the Earth's atmosphere as we speak. 

Sakura cried as her hands flew to the sides of her face. 

There's no need to panic, Sakura-san, what you need to do now is make sure nobody gets to the meteor before we do. We'll need the help of the Sakura cards. Just as he said this, the sky began to darken. The clouds were slowly transforming from their bright and sunny state to a deep and angry shade. Eriol looked out the window at the storm that was beginning to form. It's time. 

If so, then please come with me Sakura-chan, said Tomoyo. I've got the new costume ready for you. Thank goodness I was able to finish it up last night. 

[6^_^] 

*~*~*~*~* 

Syaoran blushed as Sakura emerged from behind the dressing room curtains. _Tomoyo must really be chocking up experience to be able to cook up something like that. _After so many years of making Sakura's costumes, Tomoyo's skill at her job had not slackened a slightest bit; in fact, it had improved tremendously. The costume Sakura was wearing was dark maroon in colour. It was a short sleeveless dress with long white gloves and boots that ran up to her thighs. On the dress were printed patterns of white-coloured stars with silver sparkles outlining them. She had a long cape too with the same star patterns outlining the ends. On her head she wore a tiny and elegant silver tiara with crystals embedded in it. Syaoran couldn't help but stare. 

minna-san, how does it look? asked an extremely shy Sakura. Ruby moon squealed in delight at the dress while Syaoran continued staring. 

said Eriol smilingly. He and Syaoran had on their robes by now. Tomoyo was going absolutely ballistic over the successful turnout. 

SUGOI Sakura-chan!!! she exclaimed, clasping her hands together, It looks so good on you! Her eyes were starry as she looked on at her latest design. 

Syaoran-kun, anou what do you think? 

Realising she needed his encouragement, Syaoran snapped out of his daydream-stare. It's beautiful, Sakura, he said lovingly.

Not long after that, the group ventured out of the mansion. Tomoyo was following closely behind everyone with her camera in hand. Kaho had decided to stay in. 

Sakura said as the moon guardian flew toward the group. I'm glad you're finally able to join us. 

Yukito had just finished his work shift, Yue said. He looked up to see the raging dark clouds; swirling round in circles they had formed a dark hole in the center. The rain was beginning to come down hard, feeling more like bullets than drops of water. Yue summoned a protective shield over the group as they gazed at what looked like a portal in the center of the clouds. 

Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form to me! This, by the covenant, Sakura commands you! RELEASE! The key whirled and extended to form the star staff which Sakura took in her hands. 

The Sakura card glowed as it took the form of a little fairy. Swiftly and nimbly, Sleep flew over the vicinity, spreading over it its sleep powder. _Remember, _Sakura kept telling herself, _the meteor possesses positive magic, so there's no need to worry. _But it was a little hard to believe so under such weather conditions. Soon everyone in the buildings and in the streets had fallen asleep. The dark clouds continued to circle around the portal as a beam of light shot straight through the portal from the sky. Within the blink of an eye, the meteor had flown through the portal and was aimed and some buildings Northwest of where Sakura and the group were standing. 

Quickly, get to the meteor before it hits the buildings! Eriol instructed the moon guardians. Yue and Ruby moon flew quickly towards the incoming black mass. We'll follow them on the sun guardians, Eriol said to Sakura. She and Syaoran sat on Cerberus while Eriol and Tomoyo sat on Spinel Sun. Soon they were flying after Yue and Ruby moon. 

There it is! said Yue. He extended a hand towards it and aimed. Immediately a glowing moonbeam shot out from his hand at the meteor and surrounded it in a soft glowing blue shield, suspending it in midair. 

I'll help you, said Ruby moon. She extended her hand and shot a glowing red beam at the meteor. Yue felt the weight of the meteor lighten after she did so. Together they carried the suspended meteor to Sakura and Eriol. 

Arigatou gozaimasu, Yue-san, Ruby moon-san. I'll take it to the ground now, said Sakura as she smiled gratefully at the guardians. 

called Sakura, pointing her staff towards the card. Float wrapped itself around the meteor as the moon guardians released their hold over it. The meteor descended gently, landing without a sound on the street bellow. 

What is it? asked Cerberus as they landed in front of what looked to be a black sphere. Eriol got off Spinel Sun and walked toward the sphere. Closing his eyes, he pointed his Sun staff at it. No sooner had he done so did the walls of the sphere shatter as if they were made of glass, and fell to the ground in tiny pieces of black. They disintegrated upon touching the pavement. 

The shattered sphere revealed wings, white coloured wings, wrapped around each other in the way the guardians' wings were when transforming. Without the help of the Float card, the enclosed wings hovered in midair. 

Reveal thy true form, commanded Eriol. 

Obeying his command, the wings parted. As they parted, so did the dark clouds of the storm, and the sun beamed down upon the unveiling of the creature, as if in agreement. The group gasped at its revelation. There in front of them, was a being which looked like Yue. It had long silken hair the colour of the gentlest blue imaginable. Clothing it was a Prussian blue halter with sleeves made of black veils and a pair of long flowing pants that looked a lot like the ones Ruby moon wore. On it's chest lay an embedded jewel, yellow in colour. Eriol seemed to recognise the gem. Slowly, the being opened it's eyes. They were piercing blue, the kind of blue that the oceans could only but in a faint imitation, try to portray. One would feel you could see right into the being's soul by one look of it's eyes, for they looked clear as crystals. But Sakura saw that they were clouded with something, some secret. The being glowed as the sun continued to shine down upon it, the storm already seeming nothing more than a faint memory. 

(I'll refer to the being as a she' from here on)  
where am I? she asked. The voice was silken sweet, almost like a song altogether. The being flew lower to face Eriol. Clow? Why do I sense his power, coming from you? she asked in confusion as she cupped his face in her pale hand. 

Who are you? And how do you know about Clow? asked Yue. 

The being turned to look at the one who had questioned her, only to look more confused than before. YUE? Is that really you? She flew over to him and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him passionately. 

Shocked, Yue pulled away from her instantly. WHO ARE YOU? 

Recoiling at her rejection, the being looked at Yue, her clear eyes reflecting hurt and confusion. She descended to the ground in disappointment, the sun's glow fading behind her. Sensing her grief, Sakura walked up to her and took her hand in hers. 

Daijoubu, we'll take you home now, ok? she said comfortingly. 

No need for that, said Eriol. He lifted a hand towards the being and immediately she collapsed onto Cerberus, who ran over just in time to cushion her fall. 

Why did you do that for? demanded Syaoran. 

We need to get her indoors quickly. I don't think Tomoeda's residents would appreciate a long time gap made by an unusual 

said Sakura. With that the group flew back to the Daidouji mansion, whereupon Sakura broke off the sleeping spell. 

*~*~*~*~* 

* In the manga, Tomoyo observed that Eriol looked at certain people with 'gentle eyes'. They were mostly people he cared about, (Sakura and etc) and the one receiving the 'gentlest' look being Kaho. 

**Translations  
** Kaa-san: Mother  
Soka: I see  
Oyasumi nasai: good night  
Nan des teh: what did you say  
Nan demo nai: nothing  
Anou: something like 'uh' or 'um'  
Minna: everybody  
Kirei: beautiful  
Sugoi: wow  
Wakarimashita: I understand 

**Scribbles**  
Thanks for the reviews guys ^_^ you know who you are. They really cheered me up. Ok, now about the story stuff. I managed to finish this off in one day with my eyes ending up like @_@ so do inform me if there are any stupid mistakes in there. I felt that a lot of my descriptive sentences really sucked in this one _ yeah you gotta agree with me there, they do sound eeky. About Tomoyo, I actually thought of keeping her cool cuz that's the way she was with Sakura, but then I decided to change it to add in a little flavour ^_~ after all, people do change during their teenage years (take it from me, bwahahaha XD). So to all Tomoyo fans, I'm sorry if you don't like the change much 6^_^ gomen nasai!!! Here we have a little revelation about Eriol and Kaho's relationship again. I decided to put it down that even though they are a couple, they aren't acting like a married one yet (yes I know they share a house together in England), I mean, the boy's only 16 (Clow reincarnate or not)! Oh and another major apology to the E&T fans, they aren't together yet and yes, Eriol's still all smitten with Kaho. But I can promise you that they'll be together in this fic ^_^ just you wait and see (another reason to keep reading on!). We also finally get to see our mystery character after soooo long. I bet you guys forgot all about her once you got to chapter 2. So that's about it for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and do continue giving me your much appreciated feedback ok? *begs you with bambi eyes* pleeaase? 


	5. Chapter 5: Her Name, Her Identity, and Y...

**Chapter 5**

Her eyes opened to greet an unwelcome glare of light. It was morning. _What happened? _She was lying in a bed, and the sunlight was pouring into the room through the huge windows, shining down on her face. Her wings had vanished. 

Mentally she tried to recall the last events. _That's right… I was awakened, by that boy… _Could it be Clow she had seen? That would've been impossible, yet even then; she could feel this person's power in the same room. _Clow's magic. _She wasn't supposed to have been awakened; wasn't supposed to have landed anywhere. _And only Clow could have shattered the shield around me. _So who was this person? 

She got up into a sitting position to find herself staring at the boy himself. He had dark hair and wore a pair of glasses, _just like Clow. _ "C… Clow?" she asked with a shaking voice. Her eyes were searching his, searching, for an answer. 

"Iie," he said. "I'm not Clow." 

But how could that be? She thought. Not when she could feel him so strongly from this boy. Again she cupped his face in her hands. She could definitely feel him. Stroking his face, she asked, "Who are you then?" 

"Hiragizawa Eriol. I was known as Clow in my previous life." Understanding dawned on her as he said this, and she relaxed, her hands dropping from his face onto her lap. _But there's still something wrong. _She strained to remember what else was missing. _I was awakened, by this boy, Eriol… then… then I saw… _

"Ohaiyo! Daijoubu ka? You slept through last night after we found you," said a bright and chirpy voice. She turned to look at the girl. She had honey-coloured hair, and eyes like emeralds. _This one… this one possess the Clow cards. _Behind her walked in a man dressed in white, and a majestic lion. _Yue and Cerberus, _ her once companions_. _Now she remembered. He had rejected her… _he, Yue. _

The girl sat on the bed beside her. "Onamae wa nan desu ka?" she asked. "Watashi wa Kinomoto Sakura desu," she added after a moment of silence. 

But the silence went on. 

"I… I guess you don't want to tell us who you are yet," the girl said. "But that's ok, you can tell us later when you get to know us better." 

In her mind, she had barely heard the question. What was it again? Her name. No, she wasn't going to tell them. Not till she finds out why everything was so strange. _Clow-sama… where are you? _

*~*~*~*~* 

Sakura looked in disappointment at the lovely being in front of her. She was hoping she would be able to make friends with her. The being did not awake after they brought her back the previous evening. _Maybe she's just hungry. _Sakura brightened at the idea. They could all have breakfast together! Perhaps that would clear up some of the hostile air. 

"Do you want some breakfast? Tomoyo-chan made us a delicious cake," she smiled, "I can bring some up for you." 

"I don't eat," she said. 

"Hoe?" Sakura said in surprise. Before she got any further though, she felt Eriol's hand tap her shoulder. 

"Come with me, I've something to talk to you about." 

Obediently Sakura followed him into the next room. Tomoyo had made things easy for them when they decided to stay over the previous night. She had let all have adjoining rooms so that they could get around more easily (in her huge house). Sitting in the leather chair beside the fireplace, Eriol called in Syaoran and Kaho as well. 

"Sakura-san, who do you think this being is?" he asked her. 

Sakura thought for a second. There sure was something mysterious about this girl, especially how her eyes seemed to be clouded. And how she gave off a magic aura, one she only felt when around Eriol. "I don't know." 

"She obeys my commands even though she doesn't know me, but she seems to know who Clow is. She also doesn't eat." Eriol paused for a moment, his words beginning to sink in. "On her chest she bears a rare gem that only the guardians created by Clow have. And the way her wings were folded when we found her…" 

"Is she, made by Clow then?" said Syaoran. 

"I think so. She's definitely dropping heavy clues on who she is even if she hasn't revealed her name or where she's come from. The being in there," he said pointing to the next room "is a guardian." 

"HOEEE!!! How can that be?! There are only two guardians created by Clow, and the other two are by you!" exclaimed Sakura. 

Eriol sighed. "Sadly, I don't know all the answers there are. I don't know who this girl is or where she's from. My memory does not recall Clow ever making a third guardian. Perhaps, we could get Yue to help. She seemed to have been in close relation with him." 

"Demo… Yue-san might not like the idea," said Sakura. 

"We have to try Sakura. We won't be able to find out more about her if we don't," said Syaoran. 

Reluctantly Sakura agreed. She never really liked asking favours of her moon guardian. He'd always seemed so quiet and reserved she hated disturbing him. In her heart she knew he was in longing though, longing after the late Clow. "I'll talk to him then, after breakfast." She left the room and rushed down to the dining area where Tomoyo was setting the table while the other three friends continued talking. "Ohaiyo" she said greeting her friend. 

"Ohaiyo Sakura-chan. How is the she?" said Tomoyo as she laid out the plates on the table. 

"Hoe? Oh the girl! She hasn't spoken much, and she didn't want to eat anything." 

"Soka… Anou, what did Hiragizawa-kun say about her?" 

"He thinks we should try letting Yue-san talk to her." 

"Then by all means, ask Yue-san," Tomoyo said with an encouraging smile. 

Sakura looked at her best friend. Somehow Tomoyo always had a way of making things seem a lot easier than they really were. It was good in a way; it stopped Sakura from worrying so much. Tomoyo then disappeared to the kitchen and returned with the gorgeous cake Sakura had mentioned. It was huge, possibly the width of a beach ball and topped with cream and fresh chilled strawberries. 

Sakura giggled. "I'm sure Kero-chan will gulp down half of that in the blink of an eye." 

"I think so too," said Tomoyo as she laughed along with Sakura. Taking up the cake knife, Tomoyo sliced through the cream-coated layers of the cake and served them on the plates. She didn't bother to cut up the remainder though after the plates had been filled. She simply carried the dish with the remaining chunk of cake over to Kero's seat and served it on the table. It wasn't long before the hungry teenagers with Nakuru, Kaho and the two sun guardians were making their way down to the dining table. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Yue was in the room, in the being's room. Why he decided to stay there he didn't know, even if Yukito was asking for his share of the cake as well. He looked out the window at the sky that had been dark as the night the previous day. There was something odd about the way this being came through the Earth's atmosphere. He felt her gaze on him. He didn't move his position though, nor did he turn to look at her. He felt uncomfortable. 

"Are… are you really Yue?" she asked. 

"Yes," he answered without looking at her. She was silent after that though, and Yue felt the room grow stiff with its lack of activity. It wasn't helping with the uncomfortable feeling either. _Do I know her? _He certainly could not remember himself to have known her. _Then how does she know me? _He continued staring out the window, but his attention wasn't on the clouds anymore. It had drifted to other matters. Matters of his heart. Was it possible that Clow created her for him and later erased her from his memory? The idea seemed quite possible. Behind him he heard a stifled sob. It wasn't loud. In fact, if he hadn't been listening closely he doubted he would've been able to hear it at all. Slightly frustrated, he finally turned to look at her. 

The being was sitting in a foetal position on the bed, her knees drawn up against her body, her face hidden by them. Her long hair was spread out on the sheets in a disarray, her body shaking at the onslaught of her silent cries of distress. Quietly, Yue walked over to the bedside. Looking at the being reminded her of how his heart was still in mourning with the loss of the only one he'd ever treasured. He bent down and brushed the silken strands of hair from the side of her face to reveal her tear-stained cheek. The being lifted her head from her knees to look at him. There was no doubt in the look she gave him; she was utterly surprised. 

"What is you name?" Yue asked, trying his best not to sound as distant as he usually did. 

The being looked thoughtfully at him for a moment, her piercing blue eyes searching his. Yue felt as if she was trying to help him remember who she was, but he couldn't. "Seika," she said finally, after accepting that he didn't know her. "My name is Seika." 

Yue was trying to think. He felt an astonishing sense of guiltiness that try as he might, he could not remember this girl. _Seika. _He looked at her face. _Such a delicate outline… and her features… _there was definitely something 'Clow' about them. But her lower lip was beginning to tremble and she turned away from his inquisitive gaze. A fresh set of tears streamed down her face, as she made no attempt to wipe them away. Feeling at a loss of what to do, Yue sat down beside her. Tentatively, he raised his hand and wiped away the wetness of her face. He wasn't used to such contact, not with strangers anyway. This girl seemed different though. The sight of her distraught seemed to be pulling strings in his heart he never knew he possessed. He knew he wasn't attracted to her the way she was to him, but he felt sympathy for her. _She must have had lost a lot… _

Seika closed her eyes as Yue continued stroking his thumb over her cheeks, her heart near the brink of bursting with the emotions she was feeling. Her past, her lost, her journey… and what she found, they were all spinning in her head. Where was her master, her creator, when she needed him most? She had never meant to arrive anywhere, much less be found by anyone. Yet her much thought about worries seemed to dispel in that instant when she saw Yue. _Or at least, whom I thought was Yue. _Painfully, even if she tried to deny it, she knew this was not the Yue she knew. He wasn't the same being she had spent her life with. _He doesn't know me at all. _She opened her eyes to come to face with a concerned-looking Yue, his hand now resting on her cheek. _But how could it be? Not when he looks so much like him… _

Their eyes locked. Cold empty grey against a longing and searching blue. Deeper, and deeper, Seika felt she was being drawn to believe this was really Yue… the one she'd given her heart to long ago. _Can it be that deep down inside he knows me? _ She had to find out.She drew closer to him, her face now barely inches away from his, and he was making no attempt to withdraw. Closer… closer… closer… 

"WHO WANTS THE LEFTOVER CAKE?!!!" yelled Nakuru as she burst into the room. "Areh?" she looked in surprise at the awkward looking figures sitting _on the bed. _"WhoOpS!" she said hastily with an embarrassed look written all over her face. "Looks like I just interrupted an _intimate _moment…" She giggled as she rushed out of the room, muttering something like 'sumimasen'. 

Yue stood up. "I'm sorry," he said "I didn't know what I was doing." He looked positively flustered. 

"No it's my fault. Gomen nasai." 

"I hope you are able to tell us about you're past soon. I have to go now," said Yue as he left the room hastily, leaving Seika alone to her thoughts again. 

*~*~*~*~* 

_What was I thinking? _Yue cursed himself silently. That girl, the mysterious being had just given him a test of his loyalty to Clow, and he'd nearly lost. If not for Nakuru coming in just in time and saving him… he didn't want to think about it. He walked swiftly, his head bowed in thought as he turned round the bends of the corridor on autopilot. He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care. All he needed at the moment was some time away from _her. _Turning round his hundredth bend without the aid of his sight, he found himself suddenly bumped off track by… 

"Sakura-sama!" 

"Yue-san! I've been looking all over for you!" she said worriedly. 

"Gomen," he said, not looking at her. "I didn't think you'd be looking for me, Sakura-sama. I'm sorry." But he wasn't about to reveal where he was either. 

Sakura shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry for anything." She smiled reassuringly. "Demo, Yue-san," her voice suddenly becoming insecure "I need you to do me a favour." She paused. 

"Nan da?" 

"I uh… need you to find out more about the being." 

Yue felt himself stiffen. He certainly did not want to be near _her _again on such short notice. Not when he still felt some sort of 'sympathy' for her. But as he looked down at his young mistress, his felt his heart warm up to her. She was his friend, and even so, she rarely ever asked him for anything. _I guess I'll take on the job then. _"Sakura-sama I'll…" 

"You don't need to do it if you don't want to!" Sakura interrupted him quickly. 

Yue smiled slightly at her concerned outburst. He certainly did like his mistress… 'a lot', quoted from Clow. She knew he would have to follow her commands even if he didn't want to. It was a rule. Yet she always asked him whether he wanted to do it. He bent down to face her. _Did Clow always know that I would finally accept her as my mistress? _He didn't even need to think about the answer. "Sakura-sama," he said gently as he lifted her chin to face him, "I'll do it, there's no need to worry." 

"You will?" she asked in surprise, her emerald eyes beaming excitedly. Yue nodded in agreement. "Yokata!" she sighed in relief. 

As he straightened himself, Yue wondered if he should tell her the being's name. _No, then she would ask you how you found out. _That was definitely a bad idea. He would leave it till later when he gathered more information for her. _Then I'll tell her. _

*~*~*~*~* 

Tomoyo sat on her bed, the covers creasing beneath her weight. She sighed. A few days ago she did manage to talk with her mother. As usual, Sonomi's career made it difficult for Tomoyo to have much free time with her. But whatever she had said that night did affect Tomoyo. She closed her eyes as she recalled the words her mother told her.

_"You take after me so much, my darling Tomoyo. It's true that I did like Nadeshiko when I was young, just like the way you were attracted to Sakura-chan. And I was infuriated when she married Kinomoto-san (thank goodness you don't take after me about that part); I still fell in love again. I loved your father very much Tomoyo, and I still do even though he's away. At that point of time when I was so upset over Nadeshiko's marriage, he approached me. He comforted me. I soon found myself on hyper-drive whenever he was around. It wasn't long before we got married, and I had you. I'm not surprised you've found someone else, Tomoyo. I always knew you would."_

_"Demo, Kaa-san, why do I feel so confused? I wasn't like that with Sakura-chan. Iie, I was focused and in control of myself. So why? Why am I feeling this way towards him?"_

_"You're growing up Tomoyo. Things aren't as simple as they were before. In fact, they get more complicated as you grow up. I went through the same thing with your father at that time, and I reacted the same way as you. But I managed to get over it, and I'm sure you will too. Just believe in yourself Tomoyo, you can do it. And remember, Kaa-san will always be behind you all the way, even if I can't be with you all the time."_

She remembered the kiss on her forehead her mother left with her that night. 'Just believe in yourself Tomoyo, you can do it', her words still lingering in her head. 

"What do I do now?" she whispered to herself. It was becoming more and more difficult to sort out her feelings. Her heart seemed clouded with a million other worries. What if he doesn't like me? What if he rejects me? _ What if… what if…_ She was beginning to hate those two words. 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations**  
Onamae wa nan desu ka: what is your name  
Watashi wa Kinomoto Sakura desu: my name is Sakura Kinomoto  
Demo: but  
Areh: surprised expression like 'hoe'  
Nan da: what is it 

**Scribbles**  
XD I'm sorry~! I'M SORRY! I know all you E&T fans out there are dying for them to get together... demo... I have other plans for them :) you'll just have to wait and see. Remember, the longer you wait, the better the reward? Yeah so I hope you'll be mighty satisfied when I finally decide its Valentines day. Anyway, how do you guys find the new character so far? I've actually got some drawings of her, but I cant very well post it on fanfiction.net now can I? Hmm... maybe I should make a site for the story then... _ but I shouldn't be getting my hopes too high. So, umm... maybe if you guys are interested (like real you are), I could just put in the URLs for the pics in the next chapter. You could send me your replies in the reviews or mail... @_@ but I doubt I'd get any requests for them 6^_^ so anyway, remember to review and I sincerely hope you liked this chapter. 


	6. Chapter 6: Back To England

**Chapter 6 **

Eriol paced himself. It wasn't easy to get his body trained to this level, and he intended on keeping it that way. He jogged round the Daidouji residence, already covering the same track four times. He should bring that descendant of his along with him sometime, he thought. Running was, as he found, quite a satisfying experience. You get to tone up your body, increase stamina for battles, and manage to feel good about yourself at the end of the day.

Beads of perspiration were surfacing on his face and body; a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face. He brushed it aside with a swipe of his sleeve. _Thank goodness Kaho told me to get some contact lenses. Jogging would be a lot harder with glasses. _One more round to go and he'd have completed his usual 6km run. He was starting to pant heavily, reaching the last of his energy. The sun was beating down on him, and his hair stuck to the side of his face, wet with perspiration. Was Japan really this much hotter than England? He frowned in concentration as he continued to run. The key to running long distances was to distract the mind so that it doesn't think about how tired the body is, and so Eriol was lost in other thoughts. He usually gave way to these nagging questions that were sitting at the back of his head during his long-distance running. That was one of the reasons why he kept his routine run: so he could think better and more thoroughly. _Now about that guardian we found… _The gem on her chest was vaguely familiar. It was something that Clow had, it wasn't something he created along with her, unlike the ones on Cerberus, Yue, Spinel Sun and Ruby moon. No, this one was different. _Entrusted into her protection maybe? _But then why would Clow need someone to protect his material wealth? He could very well have done it without any help. The road before him was beginning to get windy. He carried on running, making sure he kept his pace. _I know there's something about that gem, I just can't seem to recall what. _

The track took a sudden sharp turn to the left, and Eriol found himself running on the grass. _I didn't see that turn coming the last few times I ran past here. _He frowned. _Maybe my memory's not serving me as well as before. _Sighing, he stopped his run. He should be getting back anyway, it was fast approaching dinnertime and he needed to get cleaned up first. He looked up at the house as he walked, the setting sun was casting bright reflections on the windows and he had to shield his eyes from the glaring light. Then he saw the form of a person standing at one of the windows. It was tall and slim, standing straight and looking out of the window. He knew it was the being. At first he thought she was looking at the sky, but on closer observation, he realized she was staring at him. The sun was shining on her as well, and reflecting off the gem on her chest. Strange, he thought. _When light reflects off an object, it's white isn't it?_ But as he looked up at her, he saw that the light reflected off her gem wasn't white at all. It was a dark and misty colour, almost like a shadow. I must be dreaming, he thought to himself as he looked away from the window. When he looked up again though, she was no longer there. _Maybe I was dreaming. _Then again even if he was, dreams always meant something to magicians. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Sakura sighed pleasurably as she felt the hot water running down her back. It had been a long day, or at least to her it seemed. She had tried to get the being to practise a little more communication skills since morning. True, Yue did agree to help her out, but he promptly avoided the being the rest of the day after that. _What am I going to do? I can't just leave her alone and wait till she feels like talking. _Or maybe she could. Maybe she was just too impatient. Water continued to run down her body as the shower doors began to fog up. But there was just something unusual about the being. Even if she was safely with them, Sakura could feel this was not the end of it. There was something amiss. Guardians don't simply just drop out of the sky. 

"Enough of that," she said severely to herself. "You've been brooding over it all day and it hasn't helped. You'll just have to be patient and wait till she talks to you." 

She tried to distract herself. _Hmm… Tomoyo-chan sure has nice smelling soap. _She stopped herself. _Ok, am I going mad or something? Thinking about soap? _Sakura shook her head in disbelief. Reaching for the shampoo bottle, she squeezed some of the pale liquid into her hands. Maybe she'll talk tomorrow, Sakura thought to herself as she began soaping her hair. The thought made her feel quite contented and she began singing, her mind once again filled with her beloved Syaoran. 

_ "I'm not looking for someone to talk to  
I've got my friends; I'm more than ok…  
I've got more than a girl could wish for  
I live my dreams, but it's not all they say… "_  


"Sakura!!!" In burst in an anxious-looking Syaoran and Sakura nearly shrieked her head off. Her hands flew quickly to cover up what she could. 

"SHAORAN-KUN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" she demanded. 

"Anou…" he began to blush furiously as he realized what Sakura was doing. "GOMEN!" he said as he shut his eyes tight, not daring to look at her when she was… well… covered up only by the fog of the glass shower. "I heard you talking just now and I thought someone else was in the bathroom with you… so I… so I um…" 

"Came in to check on me?" Sakura finished for him. 

Syaoran nodded quickly, taking note not to dare open his eyes. 

"Shaoran, there's no need to worry about me, I was just talking to myself!" Sakura giggled. She always did think he looked adorable when embarrassed. But it didn't give him a valid reason to barge in while she was taking her shower. "Now GET OUT! I'm bathing!" 

"H-HAI!" said Syaoran as he rushed out of the bathroom. 

"AND DON'T FORGET TO CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER YOU!" 

Closing the bathroom door hastily, Syaoran moved to sit on the bed. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom again as Sakura began washing her hair. _What did you think you were doing?_ He scolded himself at the stupidity that drove him to open that door. _BAKA! _He knew very well that she was bathing at that time. So what drove him to barge in? _Well let's see… your pea-sized brain thought she was doing something behind your back? _Stupid, stupid, stupid! He told himself. How could he ever distrust her? She was pretty and all, and not to mention well sought-after, but she had to most loyal heart anyone could imagine. Syaoran slapped himself for ever letting the idea of her being sneaky get in his head. _BAKA! _He scolded himself again. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear or see the door open. 

"Shaoran-kun, what are you still doing here?" Sakura asked as she walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed. 

"Anou… Anou…" he was in deep shit now. 

To his surprise though, Sakura started laughing. "You don't need to apologise," she said in-between giggles. "I understand." 

Syaoran sighed in relief. _Good, she wasn't about to kill you. _"Sakura I…" 

All of a sudden her lips were on his. Warm… and soft… not to mention sweet smelling too. _Cherry Blossoms. _Tomoyo must have specially gotten that soap for Sakura. Reaching up to her bended figure, he placed his hands on her hips. Seemingly encouraged by his move, Sakura leaned into him more, her arms now around his neck as she drew them closer, deepening the kiss. _She tastes… heavenly…_

When they finally broke the kiss they were utterly breathless. "HOE! Did I just do that?" Sakura asked, now her turn to have her cheeks brilliant red. 

Although in shock, Syaoran managed to gain back a little of his senses (Sakura had just blown them completely). "I… I th-think you just did," he stammered. They both looked at each other for a moment, speechless, when suddenly Syaoran decided to steal another kiss from Sakura before dashing out of the room, and Sakura continued blushing like a beet root. *^^* 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Tadaima," Eriol said as strolled into Kaho's room, a towel draped around his neck. She was packing. _PACKING? _

"Okaeri Eriol, demo this is not your house," Kaho joked as she folded a dress and placed it into her already half-filled bag, pressing it down firmly. 

"Wh- what are you doing?" 

Kaho sighed as she stood at the doorway of the closet. Eriol knew at once that the smile she had worn just a moment before was fake. She stood very still, staring straight into blank emptiness. He didn't think she was going to answer his question; nonetheless, he went up to her. With her back still facing him, he encircled his hands around her waist, burying his face in her long brown hair. "What… are… you doing?" he asked softly a second time, his lips grazing her hair as he spoke. He could feel her tremble slightly as she turned her face to his. He couldn't help but notice how sorrowful her eyes looked. 

"Eriol I received a letter," she said. This time she turned her body to face him. "It's concerning my parents back in England. My mother is…" she didn't bother to finish her sentence before looking down. Eriol noticed tears welling up in her eyes and he reached forward to take her hands in his, entangling his fingers with hers. 

"Daijoubu," he said. "You can go back if you want. I'll be waiting for you." 

"… Arigatou, Eriol." She smiled gratefully as she gathered him up in a hug. "I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise." 

*~*~*~*~* 

"HOEEE!!!" Sakura yelled in surprise, her hands on both sides of her face. "You're leaving, Mizuki-sensei???"

Kaho smiled warmly at the adorable teenaged-girl in front of her. "Aa." 

"Neh doushite?" asked Sakura. 

"Well, I have some family business I have to attend to, and so I'm returning to England for the time being." 

Sakura looked sadly at her former teacher. "Demo, it wouldn't be the same without you around Mizuki-sensei." She went up to hug her. Kaho hugged her in return, stroking her honey-brown hair affectionately. 

"Sakura-san, Kaho will miss her flight if you don't let her go," said Eriol. 

"No its quite alright, I'll just rush there," Kaho said as she smiled reassuringly. "Sakura-chan, it's ok. I'll be back soon," she said comfortingly. "And besides, remember that 'everything will definitely be alright'? I'm sure you'll be able to help this being without me around. Look, you've got all your friends here with you." 

Sakura looked up at Kaho, remembering the magic words Clow had told her before. Finally she mustered up a smile. "Hai." 

"Come on," said Syaoran gently as he placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "she needs to go now." 

"We will miss you very much Mizuki-sensei," said Tomoyo. 

Reluctantly, the group said their farewells to the lovely lady as she got into the taxi waiting outside the gates. "Sayonara!!! I'll write as soon as I can!" she called out to them as she winded down the window to wave goodbye.

"Sayonara!" they said in return, waving till the car was no more than a tiny dot in the distance. 

Sakura turned to Tomoyo once the car disappeared from sight. "Tomoyo-chan, it's getting late and I have to go too. Otto-san will be worried." 

"Wakarimashita," said Tomoyo. "Come back tomorrow then," she said as she smiled. 

"Hai," Sakura said cheerfully, "I will. Koko de, onegai, take care of the being for me." 

"Daijoubu Sakura-chan, I'll take good care of her," Tomoyo said. 

"You too Eriol-kun, please help the being," said Sakura. Eriol smiled, promising her. "Arigatou gozaimasu!" Sakura smiled thankfully at her two friends. "Well then, ja neh!" 

"I'll walk you home," offered Syaoran, and Sakura accepted his offer gratefully. 

"Matta ashita!" 

"Will you be going back too, Yue-san?" asked Tomoyo. 

"Iie, I'll be staying, if its not too much trouble. Yukito lives alone now, so I don't need to go back." Yue answered. Besides, he thought, he was supposed to help his mistress with that favour she asked. 

Farther down the street, Sakura was walking hand in hand with Syaoran. Her heart fluttered a little as his hand touched hers, and the touch becoming a hold. She blushed remembering the daring act she did not too long ago. She didn't know what had come over her, but she did enjoy their little moment together nonetheless. She took a sideways glace at her beloved, her heart thumping with unspoken emotion. She was so glad she had him with her, that he was always there encouraging her. Perhaps now was a good time to thank him, silly as it seemed. 

"Anou, Shaoran-kun…" she began shyly. 

"Nan da?" he asked, turning to look at her. 

"I want to thank you… for everything." She hoped he understood what she said. She couldn't possibly think of a better way to phrase what she had in mind. 

Syaoran looked slightly bemused as he gazed lovingly at her. She was always doing this, it was becoming a habit: thanking him out of nowhere for no particular reason. But he knew her heart, and he felt foolish at himself for what he did back at Tomoyo's house. He bent and placed a kiss lightly on her head. "There's no need to thank me, I do 'everything' because… I love you." 

Sakura felt her blush deepening at his words. They were simple, yet comforting. A statement from his heart, and that was all she needed to know. She snuggled happily against his side, never wanting to ever have to let go of him (or course, she didn't mean that literally). 

"Sakura, we're here." 

"Hoe? So soon?" said Sakura in surprise, though her eyes did finally make contact with her house up ahead. 

"Aa," came his reply. Regretfully he knew he would have to go home too, his mother was expecting a call from him. He would've loved to stay longer with Sakura. 

Releasing her hand from his, Sakura was about to make her way up the porch when she felt Syaoran's hand holding on to her arm, beckoning her to him. She turned and walked back to him. "Doushtano?" she asked, looking at him curiously. He didn't answer though, instead, he looked deep into her emerald-green eyes. His hands moved to her back as he gently pulled her closer to him. Sakura blushed; she knew what was up ahead. Closing her eyes, she waited for him. 

She waited, but he didn't seem to be coming. She was starting to doubt her senses, and was about to open her eyes when she felt his mouth finally on hers. She sighed in content as Syaoran teased her gently, nibbling her lips with his until she gave way and kissed him back. As he pulled away from her, Sakura felt her knees going woozy, almost giving way on her. "Shaoran…" she said as her hands went playfully into his hair, and tangling themselves in his chestnut mane. He smiled and brought their faces closer together, rubbing his nose affectionately against hers. "Shaoran…" she giggled in delight, trying to finish her sentence. "I need to go… Otto-san's at the window…" she said, turning to wave at her father who was as she said, standing at the window looking at them. He smiled and waved back. 

Syaoran didn't know how badly he blushed as he let go of Sakura in a flash. "ANOU… " His hands were clutched at his side. He'd never been that stupid before as to kiss her in full view of her father. He was so embarrassed he wished at that moment the ground would just open up in and in one big gulp, swallow him into the depths of the earth so he needn't face his girlfriend and her father any longer. "I-I'm uh… going home now!" he announced, turning and walking stiffly down the road. 

"Matta ashita Shaoran!" Sakura called after him as he walked. The only way she knew her father was there was because she sensed Clow's aura. She wondered for a moment how Syaoran failed to feel it too. She giggled. _He must have been too caught up kissing me. _"Hoee!!!" her hands flew to her cheeks as she walked up the porch, getting all 'hanyan'. Fujitaka opened the door for her. 

"He is a very nice boy, neh Sakura-san?" he asked with his usual smile. 

"Hai!" said Sakura as she slipped off her shoes and ran up to give her father a hug. "I'm so glad he came back for me." Fujitaka hugged his beloved daughter who took after his wife so much. She sure did look more and more like Nadeshiko the more she grew. 

"Dinner's ready," Fujitaka said warmly. "Come on in and get it." 

"Wai! Arigatou Otto-san!" said Sakura as both of them walked into the house, closing the main door behind them. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Syaoran trudged up the stairs to his apartment, images of how incredulously stupid he acted that day flashing in his mind like a broken-down video camera. Over and over, he kept seeing himself acting up in Sakura's presence. Why, why, why, couldn't he be more like a gentleman? Sighing in depression, he shuffled around in his pocket, trying to get a grasp of his house keys. Finally fishing them out, he jammed them into the lock, turning them with unusual violence. Sometimes he really couldn't stand himself. Banging open the door, he wondered how Sakura could even let herself accept such a klutz to be her boyfriend. He wondered if he even deserved the title. 

_Maybe I should just chill out a little… too much going on…_

He closed the door and walked into the kitchen. Reaching into the refrigerator, he grabbed a bottle of coke, and turning to the counter, he got out the bottle opener from the drawer. The bottle promptly made a hissing sound as the cap flew off. After taking a mouthful of drink, he plunged himself down onto the couch and switched on the television, intent on relaxing himself. The day had simply been filled with as many heart-stoppers as he could handle. 

He switched channel after channel restlessly… _why don't they show any good shows anymore?_ He was about to turn off the electronic box when suddenly something in the news program caught his attention. 

_"And on tonight's news broadcast, we have news from the weather forecaster about some strange cloud movements around the central region of Tomoeda." _

Syaoran sat upright in his chair. 

_"Over here," said the news broadcaster circling an area on the screen visualizing a map of Tomoeda with her pointer, __"we can see swirling movements of the clouds in an unusual manner. The surrounding area of the atmosphere does not seem to be affected by the movement, as it would if there were to be a hurricane or tornado. These movements have been going on for the last few days." _

Strange, thought Syaoran, _isn't that the same area where we found the girl being? He frowned. __There's something strange going on… _

_BRIING!!! _

Syaoran jumped. _Gosh, the phone sure knows the best time to start ringing. Muttering under his breath, he reached for the phone on the side table. _

"Moushi moushi." 

"Shaoran? Is that you?" asked a womanly voice over the phone. 

Syaoran recognized the voice immediately. "Mother! Hahaue, is there trouble in Hong Kong?" 

"No my son, everything's fine here, there's no need to worry about us," his mother said. 

Sighing in relief, Syaoran loosened his grip on the phone; his knuckles gaining back some of the blood circulation. For a moment there he was so afraid his mother might ask for his return. "Then, how come you called all of a sudden?" 

There was a significant silence over the phone before his mother spoke again, this time her voice was deep with concern. "Shaoran, has there been some activity in Tomoeda recently?" 

"Aa. There was a meteor that came, and it turned out to be a being in some sort of protective shield. That's why we thought it was a meteor. Do you know anything about this, Hahaue?" 

"I called because I had a dream Shaoran. I dreamt… of a falling star. But it wasn't just a star, oh no, there was something else behind it. Some great dark power." 

"NANI??" Syaoran asked in surprise. Now this was really getting serious_. His grip on the phone was tightening again. _

"Be careful my son, I have a feeling this could be leading to great danger. You have to help the mistress of the cards and protect yourself and those around you," his mother said sternly. 

"Yes Hahaue, I will do my best." 

"Remember, be careful. That's all I can tell you now." 

Hanging up the phone, Syaoran recalled the suspicious events. _The storm, the weather report, and now my mother… it's all linking up. There was something out there… something that they didn't know of yet. And so far as he could tell, it didn't sound good. _

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations  
**Baka: stupid, or idiot  
Tadaima: I'm home  
Okaeri: welcome back  
Arigatou: thank you  
Doushite: why  
Wakarimashita: I understand  
Koko de: by the way  
Onegai: please  
Ja neh: bye (informal)  
Neh: is a Japanese word added in sentences when a speaker is trying to say something he/she thinks the listener will agree with. It's like adding 'right?' or 'yeah?' at the end of your sentences  
Matta ashita: see you tomorrow  
Anou: works like 'um' or 'uh'  
Hai: more common version of 'yes'  
Nan da: what is it  
Aa: yes  
Iie: no  
Doushtano: what's wrong  
Hoe: Sakura's signature word. i probably should've mentioned it before, but the pronunciation of this word is 'ho-eh', not ho  
Hanyan: in actual fact, this isn't a Japanese word. but it is a word used in CCS to describe Sakura when she's all flustered and blushing, like when she's around Yukito and blushing away... yeah i think u kinda got the idea right?  
Moushi moushi: 'hello', used when answering the phone  
Hahaue: another term for 'mother'. it probably can be described as a more intimate and respectful way of calling 'mother'. Syaoran calls his mother this in the manga (I'm not sure about the anime version)  
Nani: what

**Scribbles**  
I uhh... didn't know you guys appreciated the translations so much 6^_^ I wasn't really aware that other authors don't put them up. So well, I decided to put most of the necessary translations up for your 'viewing pleasure', even if it take me more time to go find those jap words XD you guys have made it worth the trouble already.  
The song Sakura was singing up there's from the Corrs, 'all the love in the world'. I happened to be listening to it at that time so... oh well. E&T fans, no progress with the relationship, but at least I got rid of Kaho for the time being ^_~ A little more S&S moments though. 2 kisses for Syaoran! everybody shout 'hooray' for him! hehehhehe. ok, so I did make him seem really more goofy than usual, but I'll accept flames. After all, I thought the story needed a little humor. Do you guys (as in those who actually read the story so far) like this story? I mean personally, I'm starting to feel I'm not getting much responses. Fine, u may call me fussy, but it can get a little depressing at times. *sigh* oh well, at least the story's picking up pace a little... well... sorta. For those who might be interested, I think I'll put up the Seika pictures soon, I currently only have one, and it was a rough work one just to see how her costume would turn out once coloured. So when I finally do a 'masterpiece', I'll put it up. 


	7. Chapter 7: In the Garden You Will Find

Finally~! The long awaited E&T scene... ok ok, I won't spoil it for you, just read ^_^

**Chapter 7**

Strolling thought the garden, Tomoyo let her hands trace lightly over the well-trimmed hedges, brushing over the soft petal flowers. She breathed in the cool air, filing her lungs with its freshness. It was late, no actually early, very early in the morning. The stars still blinked at her when she looked up at the night sky, and the moon was shining in all its radiance. There was still some time before the sun would make its grand entry.

She hadn't been able to get much sleep the last night. Then again, she hadn't been getting much sleep lately. Sighing, she closed her eyes, letting her feet guide her way. She knew the path by heart; she walked here almost everyday of her life. One… two… three… she counted her footsteps, walking slowly and gracefully. _Five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten._ She opened her eyes, knowing exactly where she would find herself. And so she did find herself where she wanted to be, staring at the garden swing her mother had bought for her so long ago. This was where she'd spent most of her time in self-seeking, where hopefully answers were sent to her.

Tomoyo sat on the bench, using her feet to start the swinging motion. Surprisingly, the swing made not one sound as it began moving back and forth. _Kaa-san must have gotten it oiled for me, _she thought gratefully. Her thoughts were soon wandering again though, as she reflected on the previous day. Her heart was aching, but she knew she had to face reality. Kaho was gone, but that wasn't what was disturbing her at the moment. No... it was more hurting thing than she could ever imagine. 

She clutched her head in frustration, hating herself at the moment. Tears were forming in her deep blue eyes, spilling themselves over and down her cheeks. Her feet stopped swinging the bench as she brought her legs up close to her body, hugging them tightly. Hiding her face in the folds of her nightgown, she gave way to the uncontrollable sobs that wrecked through her body.

*~*~*~*~*

Eriol was walking. Where to? He hadn't the slightest idea. At that moment, he didn't want to think, letting his feet guide was thinking enough. Thinking would only remind him of Kaho's absence, _and what she told me before she left_. He sighed. There before him was the Daidouji garden area. _It looks almost like the garden we have in England. _The garden where he and Kaho would spend their free time together. He shook his head, trying to remind himself that he didn't come out walking in the night just to remember about Kaho. _Then why am I here?_

He stopped for a second. Not because his question startled him, but rather because he heard the sound of a girl weeping. It took him awhile to be able to recognize the voice.

_Tomoyo. _

For he had never in his life, heard this beautiful soul ever cry. _She must be really upset about something to be crying… _he thought. Quietly, he moved forward. It wasn't likely that she knew he was here, and he wasn't about to give her a fright by announcing his presence with uncalled-for noises. _She is after all, the most observant person I've ever known._

He turned round the corner made by the hedges, and there he saw her. On the garden swing she sat, with her back facing him. He walked silently up to her as she continued crying, unaware of him. As troubled as he was feeling over Kaho's departure, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Tomoyo, even if he didn't know why she was so upset. He wasn't about to probe into her mind to find out though. All he wanted to do was comfort her, for it was so strange and unusual to see such a gentle person weeping in sorrow. 

But he wasn't sure how to approach her. He stood where he was for a moment, just thinking about what to say. Perhaps he should just leave her alone, he thought to himself. Minutes passed, and she was still crying, and Eriol still thinking. His heart was urging him to say something, in fact, it was screaming at him to go up to her. _So fine! I will. _Taking the last few steps towards the swing, he placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Daidouji-san…" he called her quietly.

Tomoyo turned to face him in a flash, utterly shocked. "H-hiragi-gi-za-w-wa-k-kun!" she stuttered through her choking sobs. He smiled at her, not sure what to do. But she startled him by turning away.

"Please," she said softy after catching her breath, "leave me alone."

Though puzzled, Eriol chose not to leave her. _She needs somebody, and with Sakura-san not around…,_ he felt as if it were his bounden duty to help her. He sat next to her on the swing, and was greeted with another surprised look from Tomoyo.

Yet again, she turned her back to him. "Please, leave me be. I-I'm sure you have more important things to attend to."

True, he did have more important matters at hand. But Eriol could tell Tomoyo didn't mean her words just then. Her voice said the words, but her heart meant something entirely different. He moved closer to her, with her back still facing him, and drew her towards him. She gasped at his touch, not expecting it from him. He gently leaned her onto himself, and whispered comforting words into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. "Daijoubu… it's alright, you can tell me."

Slowly, Tomoyo turned round to face him, and hugged him. She buried her face in his shoulder, and her grip on him was hard. He began to stroke her long dark hair, hoping it helped calm her a little. She stayed there for what seemed like the longest time, and Eriol waited with her. _After all, what are friends for? _But in his heart he knew he felt something more than that towards Tomoyo ever since that night at the restaurant, when her deep blue eyes had captured his attention.

Finally, her grip loosened, and her sobs quietened. She lifted her head to look her him, and Eriol couldn't help himself but look at those eyes again. His heartbeat was quickening, and he swallowed. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, even if she had been crying. 

Lifting her chin so that she was face-to-face with him, he asked her gently, "So, are you ready to talk about it?"

Tomoyo shook her head gently though. "I... I don't think I can tell you. Gomen nasai, Hiragizawa-kun..."

She got off the swing while she spoke, a look of sadness still lingering on her face. "I have to go now," she said. And before Eriol could put a word in, she was off and running.

"Tomoyo-san!" he called after her, though he already knew she wouldn't respond.

Sighing to himself, he tried to recollect his thoughts. But the receding figure of Tomoyo proved to be more than a little distracting. _No, I came here to think about something..._

The garden around him suddenly began to swirl, forming into a different scene. Eriol knew this was a subconscious act of his magic on himself. And he knew what he was about to see too. When the walls and the floors finally fit into their places, he knew he was right. This was the thing that had been troubling him. It wasn't Kaho's departure. No, it was something much more disturbing. The room was Kaho's, right before she left for England again.

There she was, Kaho, holding his hands with hers. He watched as she began speaking to him.

_"Eriol I have something to tell you." _she said as her grip on his hands tightened. _"Please listen to me, it's important." _

_"What is it?" _He had asked her. 

Kaho shifted uncomfortably, and she refused to meet his eyes. _"When I return... from England I mean, your heart will belong to someone else." _Her voice weakened near the end of her sentence. 

_"No, it will always be yours." _He denied it instantly; insulted that she could've even uttered such a thing about them. 

_"Trust me," _she said with tears in her eyes, _"you will love someone else. I said this to Touya, and it will happen to you too." _And then she gave him her last kiss before she took up her bags and left.

Eriol blinked, and everything was back to normal. He was in the garden again, sitting on the swing. He sighed again. Depression was beginning creep its way into his heart. _Why would Kaho have said that?_ He thought miserably. Then the answer hit him, almost like a gunshot. 

_Tomoyo. _

"But NO! That can't be!" he exclaimed out loud to himself in anger. Why would he fall for Tomoyo of all people? He loved Kaho, and he always would. They were meant for each other. _But Tomoyo... _there was something about that girl that was bugging him a little. _And those eyes... _Even if he knew Tomoyo possessed no magic whatsoever, he couldn't help but feel she had magically hypnotised him or something. Whenever he looked into her eyes, he seemed to forget everything else around him. _NO! _He shook his head. This was all getting rather confusing. After all, Clow was never good at matters of the heart, and neither was he. Getting up he started walking back to his room. _Sleep… I need sleep. _Whatever it was, he would sort it out when his mind was serving him better. Besides, there was this strange weather condition to think about, he thought as he looked up towards the sky. The clouds were swirling yet again.

*~*~*~*~* 

_Run, run… _she told herself. At least she had won the prize for keeping up the cool demeanor long enough to make her escape. She couldn't stand him looking at her like that, and knowing that he probably didn't care any less what happens to her. _He loves Kaho. _Her observant eye had proved her six sense right. Just the day before, she saw them, kissing. 

The tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably again. Wasn't this the very reason why she didn't want to tell Eriol her feelings? She knew she would be rejected. Well, sort of. _But I love him. _That was something she couldn't understand about herself. Why was she still feeling this way about him even when she knew for certain, he would never feel the same way about her? 

She continued running until she reached her room. And even then, the tears wouldn't stop. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Ohaiyo!" said Sakura as she came into the house.

"Ohaiyo!" greeted Tomoyo in return. 

"Tomoyo-chan," said Sakura, "have you been troubled lately? It looks like you haven't had much sleep." 

"Yeah," said Kero just by Sakura's side. "Your eyes are red." 

"Oh it's nothing! Daijoubu!" Tomoyo said hastily, laughing nervously. 

"Ok then… how's everything?" 

"It's fine, though the being hasn't said another word, and I don't know if Yue has talked to her yet." 

Sakura frowned. _Yue said he would! _She was getting a little frustrated, but stopped herself. She didn't want to impose anything on her moon guardian. It just didn't feel right. "Anou… can I speak to Eriol-kun then?" 

"Sure, I'll lead you to his room," said Tomoyo. 

"Where did Yue go to?" asked Kero, after realizing the moon guardian was missing in action.

"Oh he said Yukito-san had to go to work," Tomoyo explained. "He said he should be back by 5pm."

"OHAIYO SAKURA-CHAN!!!" yelled Nakuru, with Suppi at her side.

"You know, you really should stop shouting like that. One day Eriol might just find you too annoying and take away your voice," said Suppi.

Nakuru pouted. "MOU! Suppi-chan! Don't be such a wet blanket."

"Ohaiyo," greeted Sakura and Kero. "How's Eriol today?"

"Hmm… " Nakuru rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful. "Well he seemed pretty serious this morning, and he didn't want to go out for breakfast."

_That's strange, _thought Sakura. _Why would Eriol be in a bad mood? _But she waved the matter off. _Maybe its just another guy thing, after all, Syaoran's like that too. _She was about to walk happily on with Tomoyo when she couldn't help but notice her best friend was blushing.

"Hoe? Tomoyo-chan, is something wrong?"

"Oh um… nan demo nai! Nothing's wrong," said Tomoyo as she grabbed Sakura's arm. "Come on, Eriol is waiting."

"See you later!" yelled Nakuru behind them.

Very soon, they reached the suite Eriol stayed in. Sakura had noticed Tomoyo getting redder by the minute, but she decided not to ask about it. Lifting her hand, she was about to knock on the door when Eriol opened it himself.

"Ohaiyo, Sakura-san." Eriol smiled warmly.

"HOEE!"

"What is it Sakura? Did something just happen?" asked Kero in concern.

"Oh uh… nothing, I just got a shock when he opened the door, that's all," said Sakura.  
[sweat drop by everyone]

"Well, please come in, there's something we must discuss," Eriol said. When Sakura had entered his room though, he stayed at the doorway, looking at Tomoyo. And she was looking at him.

"Eriol-kun?" called Sakura.

Eriol turned and smiled at her. "Sumimasen, I was distracted," he said, giving a side-glance at Tomoyo. Clearing his throat, he closed the door.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*

The clock read 6pm, and Yue was back in the Daidouji mansion. He did feel a little ashamed that he hadn't asked Seika anything the previous night, and grateful and Sakura had not scolded him for not carrying out her orders. He sighed, now walking towards her room. His mistress and former master had been talking about something earlier that day that he'd missed out on because Yukito had to go to work. Having a split personality was really tiring.

He knew though, something big was going to happen. _Probably even bigger than the arrival of Seika_. It was pretty obvious actually, even if they hadn't told him yet. The sky was already screaming its warning at them. Dark clouds again, and no rain. The same swirling clouds that had been there when Seika came. And there was the feeling of dark magic too.

Yue was approaching her room when suddenly a scream came from Eriol's room. _Sakura! _Quickly he rushed to the room. Banging open the door, he found his mistress being held by a whirlwind, and there was an unusual air pressure that held the Eriol, Syaoran, Nakuru and Tomoyo back. Sakura screamed again as she crashed through and out the window and the shards of glass sliced through her skin, the strange whirlwind was dragging her out of the room. The sky was black now, and the clouds were swirling madly above. And there was that same porthole in the clouds.

"SAKURA!!!" yelled Syaoran as he tried frantically to move forward to help her. Yue felt it very strongly now, the dark magic surrounding the room like a thick suffocating layer. Even he found it hard to move.

"WIND! COME FORTH!" commanded Syaoran as he struggled to lift his sword. A strong wind blew towards Sakura and circled around her, trying to draw her back to the room, but to no avail. "Damn!" cursed Syaoran.

Outside, an evil laughter could be heard. "So, you have the Clow cards now don't you?" boomed the loud voice coming from the angry clouds above. "I will kill you, just like I did Clow!"

The sun guardians were flying outside, trying to free their mistress, but they were blown back by the strong winds and crashed into the walls of the house. "I can't do anything!" said Cerberus, and Spinel Sun nodded in agreement. Yue tried to fly out to save Sakura, but the air pressure was so strong he could hardly breath.

"Now card mistress, it's time for me to conquer you just like I conquered Clow," said the voice.

"HELP ME!" Sakura screamed. Then her cries for help were silenced, as she was drawn up into the dark hole in the clouds.

Syaoran tried to move again, but his feet were rooted to the ground, and his arms felt as if they were tied by invisible ropes. "SAKURA!!! NO!!!"

*~*~*~*~*

** Translations  
** Ohaiyo: good morning  
Daijoubu: I'm alright  
Mou: expression of frustration  
Hoe: Sakura's signature word (pronounced as 'ho-eh')  
Nan demo nai: nothing  
Sumimasen: excuse me 

**Scribbles  
** Hmm... would you guys consider that a cliff-hanger? Let's see... problems I had here... for those of you who read this chapter before I altered it and are mad cuz that scene got cut out completely, well I don't care. I hated it anyway, made the story sound so utterly detestable. I didn't lie though, this chapter does contain E+T doesn't it? So you cant flame me on that.

Oh and many thanks to someone who gave me great advice on this chapter (thank you Celestial Guardian!). I did keep the Eriol-calling-her-Tomoyo part ^_^ for those of you who aren't familiar with Japanese culture, I'll explain. When a boy calls a girl by her name, it's implying that they have a close relationship, because usually if they are acquaintances, they would just address each other by their family names, like how Eriol used to call Tomoyo "Daidouji-san". And how (for those of you who watched the jap Cardcaptor Sakura version), Syaoran used to call Sakura "Kinomoto-san". Of course this works vise versa too... with the girl addressing the guy by his family name and such... like how Tomoyo calls Eriol "Hiragizawa-kun". 

*whew* long explanation. Before I can continue with Chapter 8 and in so doing please my waiting-for-chapter8-desperately friend, I have to get a villain name first. It's what has been holding me back to some extent. So any ideas? Feel free to post them in a review that I'm already begging you silently to do. k? thanks. 


	8. Chapter 8: The Devil Awakens

**Chapter 8**

"SAKURA!!! NO!!!!" Syaoran cried as Sakura was drawn up into the clouds. The air pressure was beginning to return to normal, and breathing was already getting easier. Obviously whatever had come for Sakura was taking its leave. 

"SAKURA-SAMA!!!" the guardians called after her. Syaoran fell to his knees, unable to believe what he just saw. Eriol was shocked as well. 

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered. Her hand was covering her mouth, as she stood in the corner of the room, frozen in place. 

Suddenly, a yellow beam of light shot out towards the closing porthole. The group gasped as the porthole was widened by the beam, and the sky was illuminated with its glow. Mesmerized, the group could only watch as Sakura was slowly transported down from the clouds through the beam of light. 

"WHO DARES INTRUDE ON ME?" asked the loud and angry voice from the clouds. Lighting flashed and the thunder roared as he spoke, and once more the sky darkened as before. Sakura continued to travel down the beam of light despite all this. Her screams and cries of help had stopped, and she descended soundlessly to the ground, under the shadow of… the guardian. 

"It is I, Seika," said the guardian as the group turned to look at the flying being outside the mansion. She was glowing brightly in all her glory. The beam of light was coming from her outstretched hands. Her face was contorted in anger and concentration as she glared at the sky. "YOU are the one who killed Clow aren't you?" she asked. 

A booming laughter shook throughout the sky, and the clouds flashed with lighting and claps of thunder. "YES," said the voice, "I AM THE ONE WHO KILLED CLOW! I, THE GREAT AND MIGHTY, AKUMA-SAMA!!!" 

Then unexpectedly, the beam of light stopped, and the sky roared with its triumph. Seika was very still, but Eriol could see she was flinching, and her hands were curled tightly into fists. "You killed him… so it was you…" she whispered, so soft that Eriol had trouble making out exactly what she said. Silence followed, and the sky roared again with evil laugher. 

"DIE AKUMA!!!!" Seika screamed suddenly, stretching her arms at the porthole again, and out from her hands a large power orb shot towards the sky. The moment the orb hit the clouds, it dispersed them, and the ground and air shuddered at the sound waves that echoed with the impact. "MURDERER!" She cried. "YOU KILLED THEM ALL!" Tears were streaming fiercely down her face, as she shot orbs after orbs of magic at the sky. Yue saw the tears. 

"AHHhhhhh!!!" yelled the voice, as the clouds moved aside to reveal a black shadowy figure in retreat. "You got rid of me this time, Seika, and you may have taken the card Mistress. But you can be sure that I'LL COME BACK FOR HER!" and with that the shadow disappeared. The sky brightened instantly as if nothing had happened. The sun was just beginning to set. 

Seika landed gracefully beside the collapsed figure of Sakura, and knelt down beside her. "Sakura!!! … Sakura-chan… Sakura!" called the running figures of Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, and the guardians as they came out of the house towards her. 

"Sakura!!!" Syaoran lifted her head to look at him. She didn't respond, and her eyes remained closed. "SAKURA!!" he shook her, panicking. 

"Daijoubu," said a gentle voice. Syaoran turned to see Seika smiling at him. "She's just sleeping," she said, brushing the hair away from Sakura's face. "She'll awaken in time." 

Syaoran nodded, carrying the limp Sakura up in his arms as he stood up. "Are you sure she's ok?" asked Tomoyo who as usual, had her video camera in hand and was taking a close-up shoot of the unconscious Sakura. 

Seika smiled. "Yes, she's fine." She turned to look at Eriol. He was staring at her wordlessly. 

"We better get back in. Sakura-san may need some medical attention," he said, turning to speak to everyone. Summoning his sun staff, he transported Syaoran, Tomoyo and himself back into the house. The guardians flew behind them. 

Yue thought about the mysterious Akuma as he flew, and how Seika had responded to him so… violently. He couldn't remember Clow being killed. So how come she did? He turned behind him to look at her. She was flying diagonally behind him to his right, with this lost look on her face. He shook his head slightly as his attention returned to his flight path, remembering what Sakura had asked of him. Then he heard a gasp. Instantly he turned behind again, and there bellow him, was a falling figure of a wingless Seika. 

"Seika!" he called, swooping down to catch her in his arms. The tired guardian sighed as she landed in his strong arms. 

"Gomen nasai…" she said softly. "I just felt… tired…" then her head rolled back and her eyes closed as her body relaxed itself. 

"Seika!" he called her again. In, his mind Yue knew this could only be a sign of one thing: lack of energy. It was quite obvious to him, being a victim of those same symptoms before. _What is she? _He thought mentally as he flew back with her in his arms. 

"My my! What happened?" exclaimed Ruby moon who flew up next to him. "Did angel girl lose her balance or something?" 

"No," said Yue, slightly annoyed at the butterfly girl. _Is she normally this stupid or does she do it just to irritate me? _"I think she has some lag in her energy supply," he explained. "You did see her wings disappear didn't you?" 

"They did? Oh I guess they did, after all I can't see them anymore can I?" Ruby moon paused to let in a giggle. "I was well… looking at that dress in the shop window just now… so I didn't see." 

[sweat drop]   
"But yeah I guess that must be the problem, I mean the same thing happened to you last time didn't it?" continued Ruby moon. 

Yue flinched. _She just HAD to remind me of that. _It wasn't exactly one of the memories on his 'To Keep' list. Being weak was embarrassing enough. But being weak and having people see you… that was past the limit for him. _At least Sakura-sama had no idea about it._ That was one of the times his 'cool act' really paid off. Though that didn't really apply for that ridiculously emotional other half of his. He cleared his throat. _Never mind Ruby moon… never mind… _"We need to get her to Sakura-sama, or Hiragizawa-san." 

With a flap of his magnificent wings, Yue was once again, way ahead of Ruby moon. _All the better, _he thought. He never could stand butterfly-girl anyway. She was always 'accidentally' flapping the dust from her confounded wings into his face. Reaching the Daidouji residence, he flew in through the broken window from which Sakura had been taken from, careful not to hurt the sleeping being (or beauty) in his arms. The room was in an obvious mess from the whirlwind that had taken Sakura. Bookshelves were toppled, books scattered, sheets of paper strewn on the ground. But none of these were of Yue's concern as he looked around. _The bed. _Sighing with relief that the bed was still intact, he laid the guardian down. True, the sheets and blankets were all messed up, but it was a bed nonetheless. He would have to wait till his mistress aroused first, then something could be done about Seika. A bed would be the best place to rest her; he couldn't be carrying her around all day long while waiting now could he? 

*~*~*~*~* 

The flame was flickering in the fireplace, a clear sign that danger was not gone yet, and Eriol knew that. The wind always spoke of things to come, and it was displaying its warning in the fire. 

Eriol was tired. Sleep seemed to be calling him gently into her dreamy wonderland, but he couldn't let himself go. _Not until Sakura-san wakes up_. If she didn't, it would be a fatal sign that this Akuma guy was stronger than she was. Sitting beside her bed was Syaoran, still holding her hand tenderly even as he was nodding away into sleep. Eriol sighed, restless with boredom. Now would be a good time to think about what just happened actually, even if he wasn't out jogging. 

_Akuma. _The name itself meant the Devil, and Eriol wondered if it were a coincidence. One thing he knew though: that guy sure had a big ego. After all, who goes around introducing himself with the '-sama' honorific? But more surprisingly was that the guardian, Seika, could actually have the power to drive him away. Neither Yue nor Ruby moon were capable of doing the same. She was even able to stand against the strong air pressure. How she did it was a wonder. And to think she was supposedly made by him. Or Clow actually. _Same difference. _

It was obvious to him though, that he wouldn't be able to get any answers to his questions about Akuma and Seika by just stoning in front of the fireplace. _So fine! I shall do something else. _ The thing about Akuma… perhaps looking at some of Clow's memories would help. He couldn't seem to remember anything just then anyway. With a snap of his fingers, a large leather-bound photo album appeared on his lap. Dusty no doubt, but still in great shape. Eriol chuckled to himself. _I bet nobody but myself knows that Clow had an album full of snapshots from his life. Not even the guardians. _The photos were black and white of course, but still they were of good use, especially when people expected him to remember things about Clow he still had no idea about. 

Blowing the layer of dust off the cover, he flipped the book open. It had been some time since he last had reason to use the book. That was of course, during the Clow card days. On the front page was a picture of Clow's family. The little known about Mother, Father, Sister and Brother. Pity he wasn't familiar with them either. He knew that Yelan, Syaoran's mother, was from the line of Clow's sister though. Clover was married off to one of her cousins from her mother's side, and therefore Syaoran was a descendant of Clow's maternal side. 

Flipping through the pages of the album, he browsed through the great magician's life from a birds-eye view. His family, his friends, his girlfriend(s) and later wife… that wife one was a pretty hard-to-miss fact. Not after they took such effort to put in a large photo the size of the whole page itself. She looked beautiful in her wedding gown, alongside the smart-looking Clow in his tuxedo. Strange to say, Eriol didn't remember her name either. 

The photos after the huge wedding one were mostly of Clow and his wife together, until they suddenly stopped, as if a portion of his life was cut out. The photos which continued after which weren't cozy home-photos anymore, instead, they were of Clow beginning his magician training. Sadly, Eriol knew the reason. It was well known then that Clow was a womanizer, and the line of girls that had fallen for him was uncountable. But only one of them could change him from the loose playboy he was into a man with a true heart. And she won the title as his beloved wife. The one who stole his heart, and in return, gave him a reason to live. 

She died tragically… not too long after their marriage. The blow had left Clow helpless, in a state no man could imagine himself in. He neither ate nor slept, and was more or less, a spectacle of evidence that the living dead still existed on the Earth. That was the missing chapter in his life that the album failed to record. His depression. 

Only Eriol knew of this secret about Clow. Just the same as he was the only one to have ever set eyes on the photo album. During his depression, Clow had attempted suicide, but he was stopped in time. Not by anyone, but it was believed that he saw the spirit of his wife, and she stopped him. The story the photos told after that was of the change in Clow. He trained to become the greatest magician with the goal to be able to see his long lost wife again. Of course he never really did, but that was the reason he lived on. And the reason his wife had given to him that saved his life. 

Over the course of time Clow did become the greatest magician, and it was all recorded in the album, all the way until the day he sealed everything and awaited his death. The day he was finally reunited with his wife. 

Eriol browsed through the pages one by one. Clow's wife was really beautiful. In all the photos there were of her, she wore this smile that was both charming and warm at the same time. _Hey wait a minute… _ he looked closer at one of the photos. In it, Clow was helping his delighted wife put on a necklace. _Most probably a gift from him to her. _It looked like a really pricey one too. But that wasn't what caught Eriol's attention. The gem attached on the necklace looked vaguely familiar. The light reflected off the gem from the camera flash was black. It was hard to pick out at first, because it could've been easily assumed that the black colour was part of the gem. Besides, the photo was in black and white, so the gem could've been multi-coloured. Eriol knew better though. He wasn't equipped with Clow's power for nothing, though it was ridiculous how he hadn't spotted it before. The gem in the photo was the same one Seika bore on her chest. 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations **(actually there aren't many in here are there?)  
Akuma-sama: Lord Devil  
Akuma: Devil  
Daijoubu: It's alright  
Gomen nasai: I'm sorry 

**Notes  
** Ok, how many of you out there think this chapter is way too short and are dissatisfied about it raise your hands. (everybody raises their hands). *sigh* yes this chapter is short, I admit it. So sue me ok? But the reason why this chap's so short is cuz the good part will be in the next chapter. (so you guys better come back and read it). 

Right. Well in my last chapter I asked for ideas on a name for the baddy guy. Since I had no entries, I had a friend to help me get this 'Devil' name out. It's your own fault you didn't want to get credit for the name! hehehhe... just kidding. Really I'm kidding (can you stop whacking me already?)!!! 

Well I think I'm pretty satisfied on the whole about the umm... Clow's history thing. I did make it up on the spot, so I guess it sounds quite alright. I think his sister's name sounds pretty good don't you? Clover. ^_^ at least it's got the same 'Cl' in it (and besides the fact that its the name of one of CLAMP's series of manga too). What do you guys think about it on the whole? Review please! 

Lastly, in the next chapter, I'm planning to reveal Seika's identity. So please please continue reading cuz i really love your reviews and your attention XD heheheh... :x ok, I've spoken enough (cuz I have an idea you guys think I'm mad by now). Remember to review even if u think this is a super sucky story and please stay tuned for the upcoming chapter... ^_^ 


	9. Chapter 9: When Problems Arise

**Chapter 9**

Seika was dreaming. She wasn't really sure if she was, but there was that certain 'dream element' to it that one always feels when dreaming. She was flying… or at least she thought she was. The clouds were all around her like tuffs of soft cotton, and she spun herself round in circles, her hands flying at her sides and tracing lines through the clouds. She laughed in delight, feeling as though she were finally home where she belonged after so long. Her laughter was light and gentle, like the ringing of enchanted bells, and her delicate feet seemed to be drawing elegant designs on the bed of clouds as she danced. 

Suddenly she felt someone's arms around her, holding her in place from behind. Not roughly, but rather gentle in a sense. And then she felt his breath on her neck; cold and warm at the same time. Fiery with passion held back with cool composure. _Yue. _ She could but whisper his name to herself as he trailed butterfly kisses down the side of her neck, and his hands slowly traveling up her waist… 

She turned around, longing to look at her beloved. She paused as her eyes met with his. These were the ones that knew her, not the cold empty grey she'd been afraid she might see. No, this was _her _Yue. Thrilled, she laced her fingers through his, and smiled when she could feel him. _Is this… a dream? _His eyes seemed to sparkle at her in acknowledgement of her doubt. His mouth formed into a gentle smile as he moved closer to her, and his hands letting go of hers and circling themselves round her body. She was shocked at first, Yue so rarely smiled. Then again, he would always smile for her. 

"Does he know we're here?" she asked him playfully. Her usual questions whenever they got together. 

Yue shook his head in reply. "Even if he knows, nothing he can do will take you away from me." 

Seika blushed as his words. It had been so long since she last heard him say that, though it brought both comfort and distress at the same time. _If he found out. _ But the way Yue was looking at her just then seemed to make her forget why she was even thinking along that line. 

He leaned closer towards her, and her hands slid up his torso, coming to rest on his chest. She closed her eyes, feeling as if it were a miracle that she was finally home, _home with Yue. _His was very close now, his lips almost touching hers, when… 

"Seika," he called her softly. She shook her head, not wanting to answer. 

"Seika," he called her, more urgently this time. Then the world darkened, and she was forced to open her eyes. _No… it can't be… it can't be just a dream. _But it was too late, as she found herself staring at the ceiling. The clouds were gone, and so was Yue. 

"Seika," he called her again, and she turned to look at Yue sitting beside her bed. And a very messed up bed it was, she noticed. _Where am I? _She was in a sitting position in an instant, looking around her. The place was in a mess; books strewn on the floor, paper everywhere, furniture toppled. _Oh, _she realized. _This is the room Sakura-san was taken from just now. _That sent a memory jolt through her. _Akuma. _Yes whoever that guy was, he was the one who took everything away from her. Her hands clutched the blankets fiercely as she remembered what had happened. 

Yue saw the blanket starting to glow. _She's going to burn it up! _He realized. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them off the blanket. "What are you doing?" he demanded. 

"Huh?" Seika said as if she had just been slapped back into reality. She looked at him blankly. Then her gaze traveled down to his hands that were holding on to hers. 

Seeing her confusion, Yue withdrew his hands. "Gomen, but you were about to burn up the bed," he explained. It seemed strange that she wasn't even aware of what she was doing. 

"Oh," she said. "Anou… arigatou." Then her eyes were filled with the same sadness Yue had seen before. She looked at him like a lost child, innocent and alone. 

It was a little hard to tear himself away from her gaze, but when he managed to, Yue recalled what he was assigned to do. "Seika," he began, unsure of himself but refusing to show it, "are you short of energy?" 

Seika looked away from him. A moment passed before she spoke. "Yes," she said plainly. "My energy source _is_ running out." 

"Tell me, who are you?" asked Yue. 

"I'm Seika," she answered, refusing to look at him for fear it would break her heart. To be with someone as fond of her as Yue, and then have him act as if he didn't know her at all was quite a blow, even if she did have a faint idea that this wasn't her home. She stared out the broken window instead. It was still dark, and the stars were lingering in the night sky, blinking back at her as she looked at them. "I'm the Guardian of the Stars, Clow's third guardian and last creation." 

Yue was stunned. _Clow created her and I didn't know? _How was it so? Thousands of questions filled his head in an instant, and he was quite at a loss of what to ask her next. _Pull yourself together, _he reprimanded himself. _Sakura-sama asked you to do this, and you better do a good job of it. _"Where are you from then? And how come you only made your appearance now?" 

Again she was silent. This time the silence dragged on, and Yue was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer. Then in the moonlight, he saw a sparkling crystal travel down her face. She was crying again. "Seika," he called her, getting off the chair and moving to sit on the bed next to her. Finally she turned round to face him. 

Yue felt uneasy. The way she was looking at him was as if she was mirroring the same look that he had. Her expression was calm, except for that betraying teardrop on her cheek. Yet her eyes were alive with emotions, just like his. There was just something about her, that was urging him reach out and take her in his arms. But his body seemed to move against him even as he lifted his arm. It dropped right flat onto the bed as before. Why couldn't he convince his stubborn self to just accept her love for him? Wasn't this what he wanted for so long? To be loved and accepted? Even when Clow was alive, he never really loved him the way Yue loved him. His affection was never returned, never an intimate moment with him. Always he was brushed aside. In the end the truth was obvious; Clow left him easily. And it hurt. It still did, though the pain was slowly fading over the years from since the time he was awoken. 

His hand was lifting higher off the bed even without him knowing. _She loves me. _Yue knew how it felt to be rejected, and he would be doing the same to Seika by not responding to her in the least. His hand touched hers. _Touch: _something important in every relationship. How he longed for it behind the walls of his other self. Though he felt everything when Touya was with Yukito, it wasn't the same. The one who was receiving the affection wasn't him. It was Yukito, _always _Yukito. But Yue knew better. He was the one who was holding back. He was afraid… afraid to be rejected again. The hurt that came along with it was more than he could bear. To have to feel it a second time would be… 

To his surprise, Seika was on him, hugging him. Yue stiffened, unsure of what to do. Unused to the feel of someone on him. 

Then she spoke again. "I'm dying, Yue… I'm dying…" 

"No you're not." The words escaped from his mouth as uncontrollable as a sneeze or a cough, and Yue was shocked at himself. 

Despite his words, Seika started to cry harder. Yue found himself stroking her back comfortingly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, and her hands tangling themselves in his silver strands of hair. "Shhh…" he whispered to her, placing his hand on her back. "Daijoubu." 

Then her body came to a still, and he felt her weight rest against him. "Seika?" he called worriedly. 

No answer. 

He pulled her away from himself to look at her. Her limp body sagged lifelessly against him. "Seika!" he called her, shaking her to try and wake her up. Her head tilted down, and her eyes stayed closed. To his horror, Yue looked down and saw that her hand was fading. _No its impossible, isn't the star capable of producing its own energy? _Apparently it wasn't doing so as he laid her down on the bed again and saw that her body was beginning to fade as well. He could see right through to the sheets. 

Yue knew if he didn't do something now, she could very well vanish into nothingness. And no, Sakura would not be too proud if he let that happen. There was only one thing he could do now that would save her for the time being… 

*~*~*~*~* 

Seika felt herself falling. Everything was black, making her unable to gauge any distances. Her arms reached up in hopes of grabbing something to stop her fall, but there was nothing to hold onto except the cold empty space. _So is this what it feels like to die? _There was no pain, no sorrow, for she could think of nothing that would hold her back from the inevitable. This had been the moment she'd been waiting for ever since she took off from planet Eden. A guardian cannot be killed by ordinary means; instead, it had to use up its energy before it dies. For this cause, Seika had traveled as a wandering star, in hopes that she would burn out her energy sooner or later. The protective layer formed around her used a great amount of energy, especially when leaving the planet. She was quite sure she would disappear in time. And even though she never expected to land anywhere, the blast she gave just now to Akuma must have used up the last of her energy. 

In a flash her life had lost its reason to carry on. That day when the battle took place, and the loss she'd experienced when she found Yue dead with her loyal friend Cerberus beside him, and when she found the fatally wounded Clow. He could have lasted longer, but he gave up his last powers to her, for she was directly dependant on him for survival like Yue. Though it was true that stars produce their own energy like the sun does, there was supposed to be something she had to do to unlock her power. It was something only she could do, Clow couldn't have helped in any way. _Too late anyway… _her death wish was being granted. 

At first she was furious at whoever had killed them. But revenge was not on her mind at that time. All she wanted to do was to be back with her family. Grief overtook her anger, as she was never really made to be a vicious creature, but rather one of love. Naturally there was the problem of how to rejoin them since they had passed on, and she was unable to raise them. 

For so long she had been the object of attention between her fellow guardian Yue and her creator Clow. She never knew why Clow had taken to her so… affectionately, as though she had been someone important to him before but she just couldn't remember. But every kiss she shared with him was forced. He never forced it upon her, but it was she who forced herself to respond to him, for her heart already belonged to the moon guardian. She couldn't let Clow know, for he was her master and creator. They had to keep their relationship in secret for fear that it would anger him, since Clow seemed to expect her to love him from the day she was made. She was betraying her heart with every moment she spent with Clow, and it hurt both her and Yue. 

She didn't know how or why, but she and Yue were attracted to each other the first time they met. She always felt at peace when she was with him; he made her happy. But the more time she spent with Clow, the more confused she became. The line between master and servant, friend and lover, was becoming blurred. 

She did develop emotions for Clow after some time, but they would never pass the ones shared between friends. She wished things could have lasted longer. She wished that everything did not end when they did. Perhaps things would've turned out differently with time, but she was never able to find out. 

_"Doushite?" _she remembered herself asking as she knelt before the broken body of the once great magician, Clow. 

_"It's my time, angel. But you must go on. He wants you and he won't stop till he has you." _

_"Dare? Who wants me? I don't understand, my master." _

_"You must go on… promise me, Seika. Please…" _

_"I-I promise." _

_"Now… now I will give you the last of what I have." _ He coughed weakly, then with some difficulty, reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder. From the point of contact, she felt a warmth spread over her body, which was still weak after she broke through the sphere. Slowly she could feel herself regaining her strength, and then his hand slid off her shoulder and fell to the ground. 

_"Clow-sama," _she whispered his name. But he had died, giving his last life energy to her. How she wished then that her tears would be able to bring them back, that the hands of time would reverse themselves. A gentle breeze washed over the area, sweeping past the debris and carrying with it the long lost spirits of the battle. _All gone… it was all gone. _

All that didn't matter now. She was going home; she was going to be with them again. She did feel guilty at not being able to keep her promise, but what did it matter? Not when she was would be finally reunited with them. He would forgive her; she knew he would. The time was coming, and even in spirit form, she couldn't feel the lower half of her body anymore. Her body was getting numb, limb-by-limb. Seika wondered how much longer she would continue falling… _maybe, until I cannot feel myself anymore? _Well the numbness had taken over most of her body by now, creeping over her like a wicked vine on a post. Soon almost all of her was given up to the unknown forces of the underworld, and now it was starting up her neck to the last remaining part of her body. She closed her eyes, surrendering to her fate. _This is it… _

Just then she felt that warmth again, like how she felt when Clow gave his life energy to her. _But how is it possible? Clow-sama is dead…_ As if denying her thoughts, the warm feeling was spreading itself out from her chest and over her frozen body. Her senses were returning to her arms and legs. _How…?_ She realized she wasn't falling anymore; instead she was lying on something soft. Seika closed her hands on whatever was beneath her, to find that she was clutching the smooth material of the bed sheets. 

_If I'm back on the bed, then what happened? _Mustering up her courage, she opened an eye to take a peek of where she was. The warm feeling was still coming from above her, and her body felt like it was on fire. Her eyes flew open at the revelation of her lifesaver. 

_Yue!_

There crouched above her was the moon guardian, supporting his weight on his hands at each side of her head and trying not to let his body come in contact with hers. _So he was the one giving me the energy. _Well actually he still was. The strain was showing on his face, as he got weaker in turn. 

"Yue," her lips silently mouthed his name. She reached up and gently placed her hand on his face. His eyes opened at her touch, startled yet relieved at the same time. "Daijoubu," she said. 

Immediately Yue stopped the energy transfer and got off from that position, and was content to sit edge of the bed. The shock was more that he could imagine. It was good that she was fine now, but while giving her his energy, he was able to see into her memory. It was a side effect of energy transfers between guardians. It could only be done with guardians sharing the same form, thus the last time he was in need of energy, Cerberus was unable to help him. He was reluctant at first to go through with it because of this side effect. He was afraid of what he might see. Yue wasn't exactly excited with the fact that he might see his former master again; it would bring up feelings he had been trying to get over for some time. It would've reopened the wound in his heart, and Yue wasn't prepared for that. 

But when he saw Seika fading before his sight, his conscience got the better of him. He never expected to see what he saw though. He did not see Clow at all, instead he saw himself with Seika, almost as if they were a couple from the beginning. He couldn't accept that, it was impossible! Clow was his first love. 

Yue shook his head in disbelief, getting more confused with each of her passing memories as they crossed his mind like some flash show. There he was, holding hands and flying with her. There he was again, sitting with her on the roof, staring at the stars together. And there he was… _kissing _her_…_ He shut his eyes, hoping he wouldn't see anymore, but they still went on. Then he felt a hand on his. 

"Arigatou gozaimasu… for saving me. You could've chosen not to, but you did. Thank you." 

Yue turned to look at Seika. His eyes locked with hers again, and he couldn't help but feel she was in a way, part of Clow as well. She smiled gratefully at him, melting some of the ice collected around his heart. Could it be that her memories were lost memories of his as well? 

*~*~*~*~* 

Eriol yawned and stretched. Looking up at the clock with sleep-laden eyes, he saw it was still some time from dawn. Spinel Sun was asleep on the floor beside him. He knew the sun guardian needed no actual rest, but he was probably just bored. Cerberus lay at the foot of the bed Sakura was sleeping on, awake and fully alert. Eriol chuckled lightly; careful not to wake Syaoran whom he supposed had long dozed off still holding on to Sakura's hand. 

The sun guardians were a little amusing; they seemed to have changed places unknowingly. Eriol would've expected to see Cerberus sleeping, instead it was Spinel Sun who was snoring quietly on the floor. _Cerberus certainly has grown fond of the little star mistress. _That was good of course, after all it pays up for the cold shoulder Yue was always giving her. 

Tomoyo was fast asleep across Ruby moon's lap. _Those two…, _thought Eriol. It had become obvious over time how much Nakuru loved spending time with Tomoyo. Both of them had a thing for fashion. He looked at his moon guardian sitting on the couch opposite his. He could tell she was probably watching him as he slept a moment ago. Despite her clumsy ditsy actions, Ruby moon was actually quite a caring character. Or actually the clumsy actions part belonged to her false form, Nakuru. In some ways, Ruby moon reminded him of Kaho. 

_Kaho. _

Just the thought of her made him long to see her again. For her to tell him that what she said wasn't true, that there was hope for both of them. But looking at the gentle-looking Tomoyo as she slept, he could feel the ongoing conflict in his heart. 

He sighed, earning a concerned look from Ruby moon. "Is something wrong master?" she asked. 

"No," he said wearily, "I think I'm going to write a letter while waiting," _maybe Kaho would talk better in a letter,_ he added to himself. "By the way, have you seen Yue?" 

"Yue? Why no I haven't. He flew back before me carrying that Seika guardian. I haven't seen him since then." 

"Carrying her? Why?" 

"Well she fainted along the way," Ruby moon said simply. 

"Fainted? Hm…" Eriol rubbed his hand over his chin. The only way a guardian could 'faint' would be if it experiences energy loss. He knew he was right to say then that Seika probably 'fainted' because of the fight she put up earlier. Shooting such powerful orbs was sure to be strenuous on any guardian. 

As if on call, Yue came in a second later, followed by Seika. 

"She hasn't woken yet has she?" he asked Eriol. 

"No." 

Silence followed as Yue looked upon the sleeping face of his mistress. Eriol would've wanted to leave him alone, but regretfully he had to ask him about Seika. 

"Yue," he called, motioning for the moon guardian to come to him. "What happened just now?" he asked as soon as Yue was close enough to hear his whisper. 

"She fainted, and I brought her back. I gave her an energy transfer later," he answered briefly. Eriol knew there was probably something more to it that caused Yue to give such a short description. Then again, silence had always been his armor. He wouldn't have been able to get anything more out of him even if he tried. 

_Fine then… I'll have to ask the guardian myself. _"Seika, could I speak to you in private?" he asked her. 

The beautiful guardian turned to look at him and nodded slightly in reply. Eriol then got up from his seat and lead her into a separate room, closing the door to make sure no one could hear them. This was going to be a little harder than he imagined. For one thing, he didn't know her at all. For another thing, she was very likely to be linked to something of Clow's past which he wasn't aware of. 

"Seika, where did you get that gem from?" he began cautiously, not wanting to frighten her off. 

"Why this?" she asked, fingering the large amber coloured gem on her chest. "Clow-sama gave it to me after he created me." 

There. He knew it! The gem wasn't created with her; it was given to her afterward. Now for the second question, "May I see it please?" 

"… Hai," she answered to Eriol's relief as she detached the gem from her halter and passed it to him. Eriol examined the yellow stone closely, counting on his magic skills to help him, for the naked eye could never spot anything indifferent about this stone. As he had expected, the gem aged back to Clow's time. Probably in his younger days too. _Which would be when he got married, _Eriol added mentally. 

"Is there something wrong with it?" Seika asked curiously. 

"No, there's nothing wrong with the gem," Eriol told her calmly, handing the stone back to her. "I must ask you something else very important now. Can you answer me as honestly as you can?" 

Seika nodded. 

"Were you once… Clow's wife?" 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations**   
Doushite: why  
Dare: who  
Daijoubu: I'm fine  
Hai: yes  


**Scribbles  
**Gosh you don't know how tired I am at the moment. *stares blankly at the clock* oh great. 1.30am. This is so far, the longest chapter I've written yet, and I hope you're quite satisfied with it. *yawns* aherm anyway... I haven't been putting in much Japanese lately as I'm getting a tad too lazy, and besides some people seem to be reading my fic just to criticize my translations rather than to tell me about the story itself. Well if you're one of them and reading this right now, I'm sorry but keep your comments to yourself. It's not like I don't know a thing about Japanese, and besides the language was never made to be translated into English so there is NO 'correct' spelling of the romanji. I only do this because I think it brings out the life of the story a little better as Cardcaptor Sakura is a Japanese story.

Well I guess I shall end off here before my dad comes in and chops off my head. Do review and tell me what u think of the STORY and not my translations. ^_^ for those who have told me that my story's 'good' so far, thanks. You've really been a source of encouragement cuz I do feel my writing does suck. Anyway, yes as I was saying, I'd better jam now before my dad maked jam outa me. Ja ne!!


	10. Chapter 10: A Hidden Past

The drawing of Seika is finally done and ready for viewing. Just paste this url in your browser window: http://www.geocities.com/tender_tailz/seikasitting_cg.jpg

^_^ enjoy, and please give me your comments on her. 

**Chapter 10**

Yue watched the closed door silently, resisting the growing urge to eavesdrop. He hadn't forgotten what he had just saw, and for that fact, probably never will. He turned to look at his sleeping mistress, allowing the immediate pang of guilt wash over him as he remembered that he should be the one asking Seika whatever Eriol was asking her.

"Something bothering you, Yue?" asked a familiar voice coming from the foot of the bed.

Recognizing the voice at once, Yue glared at the Sealed Beast lying on the floor. He hated it when Cerberus asked that, because the common question after that would be "what's troubling you?" And that was certainly not something Yue felt like sharing about.

"Come on, you can tell me! We're brothers aren't we?"

Yue answered only with another cold glare in Cerberus' direction.

"It's something to do with Seika isn't it?" this time it was Ruby moon who spoke.

"It's also none of your business," Yue snapped.

"I was just asking…" replied a Ruby moon in a hurt tone, looking to Cerberus for support. The Sun Guardian nodded in agreement.

_So now they're forming an alliance against me. Great. _Yue could never understand why Cerberus couldn't leave him alone. Some things were just not meant to be the subject of 'today's small talk'. He folded his arms and looked away from them. Some how they seemed to have turned into eyesores.

"Yue, you shouldn't always keep everything to yourself. It's bad, and you know it," said Cerberus encouragingly.

"YES! That's EXACTLY WHY you should tell US!!!" said Ruby moon, emphasizing her proclamation by slapping her hand down on the armrest of the couch.  
[sweat drop]

"Anou…Ruby moon, I think you're spoiling the mood here…" said Cerberus.

"Huh? What's going on?" said Tomoyo, rubbing her eyes as she lifted her head off Ruby moon's lap, the vigorous movements having woken her up.

_That's it. I'm getting out. _"Nan demo nai, Daidouji-san," Yue said as he turned to leave the room.

"WAIT! Where do you think you're going?" demanded Ruby moon.

Yue made no answer, pausing only to take a backward glance at Sakura before closing the door.

*~*~*~*~*

"N-nani?"

"Were you once Clow's wife?" Eriol calmly asked again.

Seika sat back in her chair, overcome with shock at his question. _Clow-sama… had a wife? _How was it she didn't know? Was that why he always wanted her around? Or why he always kissed her so tenderly? She suddenly found it surprisingly difficult to find any words to say.

"Are you suggesting," she began nervously, "that Clow-sama had a wife?"

"He indeed had a wife," Eriol answered. "I was hoping you could tell me more about her."

"But wouldn't you know better than me? You said you are his reincarnation. You should know everything."

"Sadly I don't," confessed Eriol. "I'd come to the conclusion that Clow erased her from his memory somehow. Though if that were true, why would he do something like that?"

"Demo, why was it you asked to see this jewel he gave me?" asked Seika.

"Because, that stone with you is something Clow gave to his wife."

"Oh…"

Silence fell on both of them, finding that neither of one knew anything about the great Magician's woman. It was an ironic situation for both Seika and Eriol. Of all people, Eriol was the one who should know what was going on and such. Yet he hadn't the slightest clue about anything regarding Seika. Seika should at least have some faint idea what was going on because she was the one who made the grand entrance.

The ticking of the clock in the room seemed to grow louder and louder and the two figures sat motionless facing each other. Eriol's mind was filled with thoughts of different situations which would have led things to what they were now. At the same time he was trying very hard to remember anything that could do with Clow's wife. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. _Maybe, if I think hard enough, I might be able to recall something about her…_

Just then he heard Seika humming a tune softly. If he didn't know better, he would've thought it were the song of angels. Even if she were just humming, it sounded so beautiful that any mortal would start to cry at the sound of it. **He **was already tearing.

"What is that song you're singing?" he asked her, wiping the wetness of his eyes away with the back of his hand.

Seika looked at him as if stunned, and blushed slightly as she tried to remember where the tune came from. "G-Gomen… I don't seem to remember where I heard it, Eriol-sama."

"Hmm… but I think I do," Eriol said, walking over to the piano on the other side of the room. Seika listened to the clicking of his shoes as she waited in anticipation at what he was about to do.

Suddenly the room was completely silent. The clock that was ticking so loudly just moments before now couldn't be heard at all. The weight of Clow's power felt in the room was undeniable; he was trying to show her something.

Facing Eriol was a reflection of Clow on the polished black surface of the piano. Lifting up the piano cover, he folded up the cloth that was over the keys neatly and laid it aside. Seika watched him attentively as he positioned his hands over the keys and closed his eyes. He played the first few notes of the song and then glided melodically into the main tune, his hands running up and down the keys smoothly and without flaw, as if he was born to play the song even if he had never seen the score.

And he began to sing.

_I close my eyes, and there in the shadows I see your light  
You come to me out of my dreams and close my night   
You take my hand, for you may be so many stars away   
I know that our spirits and souls are one   
We've circled the moon and we've touched the sun   
So here, we'll still _

_For always, forever   
Beyond here and onto eternity   
For always, forever   
For us there's no time and no space   
No barrier love won't erase   
Wherever you go I still know when my heart will be near   
With me _

_From this day on, I'm certain that I'll never be alone   
I know what my heart must have always known   
That love has a power that's on its own _

_And for always, forever   
Now we can fly   
And for always, and always   
We will go on, beyond goodbye… _

_For always, forever   
Beyond here and onto eternity   
For always, and ever   
You'll be on fire, for me _

_And for always, forever   
Our falls and tomorrows may cross the sky   
And for always and always   
We will go on beyond goodbye… _

When Eriol finished the song, he was crying. For Seika had begun to sing with him halfway through the song, and together with the piano it felt as though the heavens had opened its doors to let him hear the most astounding voice of its magnificent choir of angels.

Finally finding within him the voice to speak, he asked her, "Now do you remember where the song is from?"

"Yes…" she responded softly with a voice choked with emotion. She shut her eyes, and her body shivered slightly as she took in a deep breath. Eriol waited till was ready to speak again, meanwhile wiping his tears away with his handkerchief.

"C-Clow-sama used to sing it to me, and I would sing it with him… " she said.

"It was also the song Clow sang to his wife," said Eriol, reading a hidden sorrow in her eyes when she looked at him directly while he spoke.

"Oh…"

Eriol got off the piano chair and walked back to sit facing Seika again. She was looking down, though there was nothing on the ground that demanded much attention besides the carpet. Eriol took her hand lightly with his and coaxed her gently to look at him. "Seika…"

When she looked up at him, he asked, "I must know, even if you are unwilling to tell me yet, where you are from. Please Seika, you can trust us."

There was a momentary silence Seika took to gather her thoughts before she spoke. "I'm from the planet Eden. A few thousand light years ago, the Clow I knew and all other creations of his were destroyed in a furious battle I was unaware of. Just before he died, he gave me whatever was left of him, but I…I didn't want it!" she said, her voice finally giving way to a release of emotions. Tears were pooling in her eyes, and they made shimmering rivers down her face as she shut her eyes tightly. She managed to recover herself quickly however, seemingly unwilling to make a scene in Eriol's presence.

Taking another deep breath, she continued in a quivering voice, "So I left Eden, using Clow's energy to push me into space where I thought I could be lost forever. So that I would…" but she didn't need to finish for Eriol to understand. "Then unexpected to me, I ended up here, and I don't know how."

"Did you say, planet Eden?" asked Eriol.

"Hai."

"Seika, I think there is something you must know then. This isn't planet Eden; this is Earth. Clow had died a long time ago here, and Sakura-san is the one who has the cards now."

"Earth? But how is it everything seems the same… yet different… I-I don't exactly know how to explain…" said Seika as she put her hands to the sides of her head. "I'm so confused…"

Seika got off her chair and sat on the ground beside the chair Eriol sat on, and rested her head on his knee.

"Wha…?" Eriol exclaimed in surprise before realizing that this was nothing unusual. From what he remembered of being Clow, Yue would always do that whenever he felt disturbed. Understanding dawned on him, as he looked at the crouching figure bellow him. Without noticing, his hand glided down to her head as Clow's hand did in the past, and gently, softly, _comfortingly, _stroked her long silken strands of hair on the back of her head.

"Daijoubu," he said. "There's no need to worry over it. I'll get it sorted out; you have my word on it."

"Honto?" asked Seika, turning her head slightly to the side to look at him.

"Aa," said Eriol, bending down to whisper his answer in her ear, while maintaining eye contact with her. He knew how important it was to look someone in the eye whenever one offered his word. It was almost like signing some unseen contract with that person by just by looking into their eyes. He also knew that some people mistreat this form of trust, and manage to look with unfaltering eyes at the other. But even so it was all he could offer to her just then, and he hoped that she would in turn, give him her trust.

Apparently she did, turning back and resting her head in its previous position, a somewhat relieved yet still troubled smile on her face. Eriol leaned back into the chair and sighed, tilting his head to look out the window. Indeed the stars were beautiful even if they weren't bringing him any source of comfort for the moment, but that didn't alter the fact that they still shone brightly like tiny diamonds flickering gleefully in the dark abyss of the night sky.

_That's it! The sky! _That was the answer to his question! The porthole from which Seika came from, was it still there? What could it mean? Once again Eriol could kick himself for not noticing again. He should've checked it out before. _Boy have I been slacking. Perhaps… perhaps it's because of Kaho._ Eriol shook his head. _No, it's because of me. I'm getting too distracted with my own personal matters. _Whatever it was, he had an idea now of how Seika came to them.

"Seika," he called her, continuing the stroke her fine hair. She turned to look at him curiously. "Seika I think I know where you've come from."

"You do?"

"Hai. I think you might be from another universe," he said. But when she gave him a questioning look, he decided to explain in more detail, even if he hadn't confirmed his theory yet. There were just some times when the Guardians acted so much more like little children. He couldn't blame them for acting this way though, Clow had to teach them everything from the day they were made like newborn babies. It was no surprise that Seika acted this way too.

"When you came to us on that night, you traveled through a portal in the sky. It looks quite deceiving actually, which was why I didn't think of it before. The portal had taken the image of a hurricane, and disguised itself as a weather condition. Ima wakarimashita ka? [Do you understand?]"

Seika nodded slightly, but clearly enough to show her understanding.

"I believe that you might be from an alternate universe with this current planet Earth known as Eden. That is how you know a similar Clow and his guardians, but in a different universe."

"Soka…" said Seika, clearly trying to digest what Eriol just said. "Can… can we go see it tomorrow then, Eriol-sama?"

"Hai...Boku-tachi ashita wo miru desu...." [Yes… we'll go see it tomorrow…] 

*~*~*~*~* 

Syaoran yawned and stretched as he got up from the bed. His back ached from that sitting position which he was in for the past hour or so. It cracked while he stretched, increasing his growing emotion of grumpiness. That was of course until he remembered where he was, and **whom** he was waiting for. _Sakura… _He knew that even if he called her name out loud, the peacefully sleeping girl would not awaken.

Carefully he lifted her hand with his, and planted a soft but lingering kiss on it. Getting up from the cramped posture he took with him to sleep, he walked over to the Cerberus, who lay on the floor at the foot of the bed since the time they first entered the room.

"Did she wake up at all?" he asked, his voice hoarse with the need for a drink of water.

"Nope," Cerberus said. "Not even a flicker of her eyelids."

Syaoran sighed in disappointment. He knew that was what he expected in the first place, but amidst all that doubt and fear collected in his heart since Sakura collapsed, he clung on to the hope that she would awaken soon. That she was strong enough to defeat whatever it was that was oppressing them.

Taking a moment to look around him, Syaoran asked, "Where is Hiragizawa, Yue, and Seika?"

"Well Eriol-sama and Seika are in that room," said Ruby moon, "and Yue… well he went out by himself a little earlier."

"Soka," Syaoran said before releasing another yawn.

"I think it's time you head off for some proper rest my friend."

"Hiragizawa!" Syaoran jumped in shock.

"Oh there's no need to give me such a grand welcome," Eriol chucked at the shocked expressions on their faces. "But as I was saying, you'd better get some serious rest. I'm sure Ruby moon and Keroberus would be able to keep watch over Sakura-san. Spinel Sun too, that is if he feel like waking up." Behind him, Seika came out of the room and closed the door. "Seika, you follow me," he said to her though.

"What's going on, Eriol-kun?" asked Ruby moon.

"We have a long day tomorrow Ruby, and we humans would need our rest," Eriol said while leading Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Seika out of the room. "Tomoyo, if it's not too much to ask, may you let us have a place to rest for the rest of the night?" he asked the dark-haired girl warmly, knowing she wouldn't object.

"Hai," she said, trying her best to smile at him. And so she led them down the corridor, and into another set of rooms where they rested till morning came.

*~*~*~*~*

**Scribbles  
**I'm sorry but I'm a little too lazy to do the translations now. Anyway there isn't much new stuff. I've translated the English translations for the jap sentences next to them already. Anything else, look in the previous chapters. I would say I took really long with this chapter, not because I was working really hard on it, but rather I was caught up with other stuff that demanded my time more to a great extent. I did though, spend some time getting the lyrics of the song out XD by listening to it over and over again. I think my mom thought my Winamp mustave been screwed up or something. Well if you're wondering, the song is 'For Always', performed by Lara Fabian and ... ok I forgot the guy's name ^^6. But if you're looking to go download the song, download the duet version. I think it sounds a lot sweeter. Its from the motion picture A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). 

Well I hope this chapter wasn't so bad. True, it didn't explain much, but that's the reason why you guys have to keep reading ^_^ I hope that you like the drawing of Seika I did. I'm currently working on another one of her and _Yue_... hehehe... gotta love that bishounen XD there's a preview of it here: http://www.geocities.com/tender_tailz/yue_seika.jpg (copy and paste it in your browser window as before). Lastly, like I say at the end of every chapter, PLEASE review. You may not think its much by just leaving a short one-sentenced note of how you found the story, but to me, it means a lot ^^ 


	11. Chapter 11: Tomoyo, spill it

I just want to say, that I'm soo sooo sorry for the delay in this chapter. gomen gomen gomen!!! Anyhoo, here it is:

**Chapter 11**

"November 10th," Tomoyo said aloud to herself while writing the Japanese characters neatly in her diary. The sun's warm rays were shining into her room, casting a soft yellow glow on her study table where she sat. 

_'Yesterday was quite an eventful day. The days seemed to have passed like the passing of the wind lately, and I've barely had time to record anything. Not long after I made the costume for Sakura-chan, she wore it when she went to save Tomoeda from the meteor. We discovered that the meteor wasn't just a floating piece of rock, it was actually a Star Guardian created by Clow-sama a long time ago. At least, that is what I've come to understand so far. It was only yesterday evening that she revealed her name to be Seika. She didn't really say it to us though; she was talking to this guy who calls himself "Akuma". Kind of interesting, don't you think? Well, Sakura-chan is resting now (she lost consciousness after Akuma took her, but thank goodness Seika-san rescued her). I do hope she wakes up soon. Li-kun has been really worried about her. _

_About Hiiragizawa-kun... nothing has changed yet. I'm still positively sure he misses Kaho still; it's no surprise actually. I would miss Sakura-chan if she suddenly had to leave. I don't know if I should tell him, or for that matter, tell anyone. But this feeling in my heart, it just wouldn't go. I feel I have to tell someone, but who?'_

"... But who?" She echoed softly to herself as she set her pen down and closed the book. Getting up from the chair, she took the book and placed it neatly into the drawer, pushing it in so that it shut with a slight 'tap' sound. Turning to the windows, she stared solemnly below at the garden. Her eyes softened at the beautiful scenery made up by just a bunch of blossomed flowers and their leaves. Her mind came to focus however, on the garden swing. Her heartbeat quickened, remembering the night she met him there. _Eriol..._

Her heart thumped in her chest, despite her silent protests against it. She closed her eyes, trying to tell herself to stop all this silliness over someone she would probably never have. It was plan foolishness, an emotion purely of a childish nature. Or so she took it to be. Her Sakura-chan craze never got her anywhere anyway. But this feeling in the heart now, was in a way very different from what she felt for Sakura then. Strange to say, it intimidated her. For that second that she stood there with her eyes shut, she recalled the times she spent with Sakura, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly at the hilarious moments Sakura had filled her life with. When she opened her eyes though, she was faced with the garden swing once more. She felt her spirits take the dip again. _Why? Why couldn't things be different? Everyone seems to be finding happiness except me. _

The grandfather clock in the hallway struck 7, diverting Tomoyo's attention away from the garden as she turned to take a look at the time. 

"Sou da neh! I was supposed to see Kaa-san off to work!" 

Quickly, Tomoyo grabbed up her nightgown and headed for the door. The long trails of the nightgown would be most hazardous to her while she rushed down the stairway. 

_Just in time!_ There at the front door was Sonomi; ticking off her checklist on a bright red clipboard while her bodyguards carried the bags of luggage out to the cars. 

"Kaa-san!" Tomoyo called as she ran to her mother. 

"Tomoyo-chan!" said Sonomi, smiling at the sight of her beloved daughter. "You made it in time, I was just about to step out." 

"How long will you be gone this time?" 

"Well... I suppose around 2 weeks or so. My schedule's not really confirmed yet, but I'll call you from America." 

Tomoyo tried her best to hide the disappointment she felt, but it must have shown anyway, as Sonomi stooped down to give her a reassuring hug. "Daijoubu. I'll be back before you know it. Besides, Sakura-chan and your other friends will be here for some time neh?" 

"H..Hai" 

"I have to go now, or I'll be late for the conference," Sonomi said, looking apologetically at Tomoyo. 

"Wakarimashita, Kaa-san." 

With a final hug, Sonomi left the Daidouji compound on yet another business trip. Tomoyo had noticed the increasing frequency of those of late. Perhaps it could be because Sonomi felt Tomoyo was old enough to take care of herself, and responsible enough to keep things running while she was away. Either way, Tomoyo had the house to herself again. Not that she was really alone this time. 

She walked slowly up the stairs, but decided to take a different route to her room. Getting off at the top floor which consisted of all the guest rooms, Tomoyo headed for the door closest to her on her left of the long corridor. _Eriol's room. _She faced the door now, wondering if he could feel her most likely unwanted presence. Her hand hesitated at the doorknob. _Perhaps, I could just say I was asking what they would like for breakfast. _Her hand inched closer, her middle finger just touching the doorknob. _No, but he… he probably doesn't care about anything that I do. And after that night at the swing, I don't know what kind of explanation I should give. _Her arm dropped flatly at the side, away from the chance to talk to Eriol. _He doesn't feel anything for me. Kissing Mizuki-sensei should have told me enough. _Tomoyo turned away from the door, walking to the opposite side of the corridor in some pathetic attempt to get as far away from his room as possible. Half of her wanted so badly for him to just call her now, even if that would mean he knew all along she was outside his room. The other half of her would prefer if that did not happen. _Is love this confusing? _

She stood in the middle of the passageway, staring blankly into emptiness. _I have to tell someone, or I think I'll go crazy. _But was it a wise decision to let loose how she felt at a time like this? Would anyone be able to help her? It was a thing seldom noticed by anybody, how alone Tomoyo really was. Alone in her house. Alone as a person. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"HoE!" Sakura sat bolt upright in her bed. 

"Daijoubu?" asked a gentle but concerned voice by her side. 

"Tomoyo-chan!" Her best friend was sitting on a chair beside her bed, and apparently, giggling at her shocked reaction. 

"It's good to see you're ok. You've been unconscious since yesterday evening," explained Tomoyo. 

"Soka… neh Tomoyo-chan, I just had this horrible dream!" 

"What was it about?" Tomoyo asked in concern. 

"Anou… anou… " [sweat drop] Sakura looked embarrassedly at her friend before admitting that, "I forgot." 

The two girls laughed together, the sound of their laughter similar to when they just became best friends four years ago. It was strange yet comforting the way some things never change despite the passing of time. Sakura felt it was good that she'd come to acknowledge that. When their laughter died down and the room became silent again, they smiled at each other, remembering old times. How her past had seemed so carefree compared to now was a mystery to her, and it upset her at times too. However it was friends like Tomoyo and Syaoran who kept her going all the way. She certainly felt thankful for Tomoyo just then. 

_Hoe? _Sakura edged closer to Tomoyo and took held her hand. "Tomoyo-chan, daijoubu?" 

Tomoyo was visibly shocked, and the smiled wiped itself off her face. "N-nani?" she stammered. 

"You look distressed. And the last few days that I saw you, you looked… you didn't look too good." 

Tomoyo looked away from her though, and kept silent. Having never seen her best friend act this way before, Sakura was understandably puzzled. Still she urged her gently, not thrown off by Tomoyo's unusual hostile behavior. Sakura's persistence finally won her over. 

"I… I've been keeping something from you, though it is actually no concern to you," said Tomoyo, her eyes finally meeting with Sakura's again. "I actually came here this morning hoping to tell you." 

"What is it?" 

Sakura could see her friend hesitate, but she wanted to know, no, she _needed _to know what was troubling her friend so that she could help. After all, Tomoyo had helped her countless of times. It was time for her to repay Tomoyo for her kind deeds. "Tomoyo-chan, you know you can tell me. I'll help in whatever way I can." 

Tomoyo nodded, almost as if she was reassuring herself more than agreeing with Sakura. 

"For some time now, over the past two years I mean, I developed some… some feelings for…" 

"for..?" 

"Hiiragizawa-kun." 

"Eriol-kun??" asked Sakura, trying to make her tone sound more like a confirmation than an exclamation. 

"Hai… Eriol-kun." 

"Well then, what's the problem?" 

Tomoyo sighed. "Sakura-chan, Hiiragizawa-kun loves Mizuki-sensei." 

"NANI? HONTOU??" 

[sweat drop] (Tomoyo: You don't have to say it so loudly!) 

"Hai. I've known that for a while, ever since we met both of them together two years ago," Tomoyo said, her hands moving away from Sakura's to play with a lock of her long dark hair. "I know it's wrong for me to feel such things, after all Hiiragizawa-kun has his eyes set on someone else already. But…" 

Suddenly Sakura felt something. She didn't want to be mean by interrupting Tomoyo, but she felt she had to. "Tomoyo-chan," she cut in. 

"Demo," Tomoyo continued, "I don't know how to rid myself of these feelings. I try to everyday but I can't. I just- " 

Sakura felt she could do nothing more than to cover Tomoyo's mouth, silencing her to nothing more than a muffle. She really didn't want to, but that was the only thing she could do now, being that she was in no condition to call out any of her cards at the moment. No sooner had she done so that there was a knock on the door. 

"Sakura-san," called a friendly voice. 

"Ah hai!" 

"Ohayo gozaimasu," said Eriol as he opened the door and stepped into the room. "Areh? Sakura-san, what are you doing to Tomoyo-san?" 

"HOE!" Sakura removed her hand covering Tomoyo's mouth, the muffling sounds revealing themselves to be cries of help for air. "SUMIMASEN TOMOYO-CHAN!!!" In her hurry she covered poor Tomoyo's nose along with her mouth. 

Tomoyo coughed a bit before finally managing to regain her composure. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Hiiragizawa-kun," was the first thing she uttered. Despite the fluster she was in about Tomoyo, Sakura couldn't help but notice that Eriol had called Tomoyo by her name. _That must be a sign that I'm improving! I actually observed something!_ [^_^;;;] 

Eriol simply smiled. "Ogenki desu ka?" he asked Sakura. [How are you?] 

"Mm!" Sakura nodded cheerfully, "genki desu! Okagesama de." [I'm fine! Thank you for your kind thought.] 

"Ii desu. Oh by the way, I got a message from your father." [Ii desu: That's ok] 

"Message? How?" 

"Through here," said Eriol, tapping the side of his head. "He and I are connected, remember?" 

"Sou desu ka? Sumimasen! I forgot!" 

Tomoyo giggled again. "Sakura-chan seems to be having a forgetful-day!" 

"Aa," said Eriol, smiling in agreement. "Your father said you have to be back soon. He has something important to talk to you about." 

"Wakata." 

"Dewa, I'm going off to make preparations now. We will be leaving soon to go look at the portal Seika came from. I suggest you don't come along with us though, you need to rest, Sakura-san." 

As soon as he stepped out of the room and was out of earshot, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Gomen nasai Tomoyo-chan. I didn't mean to interrupt you just now, but I felt him coming and I had to stop you before he overheard." 

Tomoyo smiled gratefully. "Arigatou gozaimasu. I'm not sure what I would've done if he found out," she said, her words and the voice that carried them made her sound like such a vulnerable and defenseless person, Sakura thought. 

Sakura hugged Tomoyo, understanding the pain her friend had been feeling for so long, and hoping she was in anyway, helping. "We can talk more later when Eriol-kun has gone." 

"Hai." 

*~*~*~*~* 

Yukito sat at the dinning table gobbling down pancake after pancake, and drinking from the carton of milk beside his plate.

"HEY! Leave some for me!" protested the little Sun Guardian beside him, grabbing at the last pancake.

"Mah Kero-chan!" came the reprimanding bark from Sakura, or should he say, his other self's mistress?

He could feel it exceptionally strong today, the uneasiness that had been welling up in him the past few days. He expected it would at least affect his appetite, but no, his other self probably didn't allow that to happen. Around him the others were talking, what about he didn't know. Usually he didn't like so be so self-absorbed, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the sensations running through his body. It was as if he was feeling the effects that one would have if homesick: that sickening pang that hits the top of your stomach. Yet he still felt as hungry and alive as ever. Another thing was that he could feel Yue was awake, even inside him. Yue usually would choose to sleep than to watch the world through Yukito's eyes. Strange? Definitely. So why was it Yue decided to stay awake now?

Yukito had little time to notice the new girl he was sitting beside. She was dressed in what he would describe to be, quite elegant for the occasion. Her long light blue hair lay in a perfectly smooth wave over the backrest of the chair, almost touching the floor on the other side. There was a helpless look to how she was staring at her pancakes however.

"Here, I'll help you," Yukito offered. After accepting the go-ahead from the girl, proceeded to slice up the pancake for her.

"Now you just take the fork," he said, lifting up his fork to show her which utensil it was, "and eat with it," he demonstrated by popping a piece of pancake into his mouth. The girl looked at him with a somewhat awed expression on her face before following his actions. She obviously wasn't too familiar with English utensils.

"Oishii," said the girl after swallowing a piece. She smiled slightly at him, in a way that sent a pang at his stomach. "Arigatou gozaimasu." There came another, stronger than before, pang at his stomach. Yukito had the gut feeling Yue wasn't in the least bit at ease with this girl._ Naze ka?_ Sometimes Yukito wished that Yue would communicate with him more. They were using the same body after all.

"Seika-san," called Sakura, "I thought you didn't eat?"

_So her name is Seika. _

"I decided to try it," she said, "since Yukito-san seems to enjoy it so much."

"By the way Sakura, will you be going soon?" asked Eriol.

"Hai. I was planning to make a move after breakfast. Ottou-san will be worried."

"Yes I should think so too," said Eriol, "I'll see you tonight then, when all of us are back here."

"Aa," agreed Syaoran.

"I'll go back with you Sakura-chan," Yukito said. There was something he would like to talk to Touya about too.

A short while later, Sakura got up from her chair. "Yukito-san, Kero-chan, if both of you are done we can leave now," she said cheerfully.

"Hai," said Yukito, getting up from his chair to join her.

"Chotto matte!!" cried Kero-chan, trying to grab for the pile of pancakes freshly served for Nakuru. [chotto matte: wait, slow down]

"You are such a glutton," said Suppi-chan.

"Kero-chan!" scolded Sakura, pulling him off the table by his tail. "Mah yi yoh!" [I'm not sure if this is the correct way to write it, but it means something like 'that's enough']

"JA NE~!" said Nakuru in her usual singsong voice. 

"Dewa konban," said Eriol. [Till tonight] 

Syaoran got up from his seat, finishing what was left of breakfast quickly. "I'll walk with you," he said. 

"Hoe? Shaoran-kun, you're coming along too?" asked Sakura. 

"Aa. I'll go home after you." 

Tomoyo got up from her seat as well. "I'll walk you to the door," she said to them with her usual smile. "Oh yes Sakura, did you remember anything about the dream?" 

"Dream? You had a dream, Sakura?" asked Kero-chan, "Why didn't you tell me???" 

"Oh uh… that dream… (hehehe… )," said Sakura nervously. 

"… WELL?" said Kero. 

Sakura closed her eyes and tried to recall her dream, her brow knitting together while she concentrated. Finally after a few thoughtful minutes, her effort proved fruitful. 

"I remember!" 

"What is it?" asked Eriol, "You know your dreams always meant something important." 

"I dreamt…" Sakura began, turning to look at Seika with solemn eyes. "I dreamt, that Seika-san died!" 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Translations  
**(honestly i feel too tired at the moment to do this...)  
Oishii: Delicious  
Naze: Why

If there are anymore which i think there positively are, i might fix them later. the majority of it is translated in brackets already.

**Scribbles  
**Gosh has it really been a month? Time flies i must say... Well school was keeping me up. I know, bad excuse, but it's the truth anyway. I feel this chapter sux. Right to the core it does. But its one of those linking chapters you cant do away without. argh. Ok, i really dont have time to write anymore. Its 3am and i have school in approximately 4 hours time of which i'd have to wake up at 5.45am. hate school hate school hate school.   
Anyways, as always, do please review or i'd think there's not much reason in continuing the story and just end it midway. Oyasumi nasai~!


	12. Chapter 12: A Reason To Live

**Chapter 12 **

"Uso!" the response was unanimous. [uso: something like 'no way!'] 

"Are you sure, Sakura? Absolutely sure?" asked Eriol, the repetition of his question scratching off some of his cool façade. 

Almost immediately as Sakura uttered her dream, Yukito felt himself drawn against his will into that deep slumber again. In no time, the transformation was over, and Yue stood in Yukito's place, obviously paying close attention to whatever his mistress had to say. "Doyatte?" was the only word he could bring his constricted throat to produce, no doubt in as much shock as anyone else in the room. True, he was still very disturbed over the whole incident with Seika with her memories still haunting him, and he wasn't at all prepared to face her yet, but this… this was different. Somehow, it seemed to call him out of whatever hiding place he wanted to stay in, almost like a reflex action. He glanced across at Seika; afraid that looking directly at her would evoke all those unexplained memories. Already he noticed the soft silver glow that used to surround her was dimming. Her spirits were low. [Doyatte: how] 

"I… I don't really know," said Sakura timidly. "It all started strangely, like I was in some other place. But somehow, through all that cloudy mist… I knew it was were Clow-sama stayed." 

"Clow?" Eriol said. 

"Hai, Clow-sama. I felt it so strongly, but the presence there was slightly different from Clow-sama's. I don't really have an idea of who it is. Gomen neh, Eriol-kun." 

"Iie, its fine. Please continue, Sakura-san." 

"Well… All I remember is that someone, I don't know who, but it was the one whose presence felt like Clow-sama's, said that Seika has to die." Sakura paused here as she recollected the rest of what happened. "He… he stretched out his hand towards her, and a dark aura covered her." Sakura's voice started to quiver slightly. "And then… she was gone…" 

The room was silent. Not a whisper, not a sound, everything was still. Yue looked at his mistress. Her face was a picture of devastation of such an innocent nature that it was just painful to see. In his mind, he contemplated whether he should go to his mistress, or should he go to Seika. Tough question. 

"Is it true? Will I die?" Seika asked. "Will someone, really kill me?" she looked at Sakura with calm expectancy. 

"Gomen nasai Seika-san!" said Sakura as her eyes started to water. "I really wish I knew!" 

Seika watched the young card mistress as she turned to her boyfriend for support, before looking away from her. "I suppose it doesn't really matter even if you didn't know," she said. "It's better if I died anyway, and I might as well know I will now." 

"Seika!" said Yue in objection. 

"Seika-san…" said Eriol. 

"Seika-san dame! Onegai, please don't talk that way!" cried Sakura. "I will find a way! You won't die! Shinjinai!" [Dame: stop, not good /Shinjinai: I won't believe it] 

A shadow crossed Seika's face as she spoke again, "There's no need to cry Sakura-san. I don't really have a purpose to serve here anyway, and my loved ones have already gone before me. I long to be with them." 

"Loved ones?" asked Sakura. 

"Aa, my family. Besides, none of you really care for me do you? It doesn't matter if I leave. 

Without thinking, Yue moved to grab Seika's arm. Somehow, even if he felt her words shouldn't have bothered him at all, he felt somewhat offended at them. "What did you say?" 

Seika spun around to look at the aggravated Moon Guardian; a slight confusion in her eyes reflected only the possessiveness in Yue's. Yes, possessiveness. Even Yue was shocked to see that in her eyes; his own reflection of how he was feeling right at that moment. Realising his move, he let go of her arm and retreated murmuring a faint, "sumimasen." Behind him Sakura's soft crying had silenced, and he knew she was watching him. Him, the cold calm Moon Guardian, giving way to his instincts so suddenly. No doubt it was quite a surprise, he thought. Why had he been so stupid? He had thought he would be more careful about those sudden impulses after what happened in the room with Seika. How he almost kissed her… _no! I hadn't planned to let Sakura-sama know._ He couldn't explain himself, why he was acting this way towards her. 

"What do you care?" Seika raised her voice at him after he let go. "You don't know anything! You look so much like him, yet you are not the same person at all. What has this got to do with you if you don't know anything to begin with? You have no right to be questioning me about what I want and what I do. You don't even remember when…" 

The scenes flashed in his head again. There he was with Seika, resting up on the branches of a tall tree, and he was making a trail of kisses down her neck, and speaking into her ear softly, the words of love and affection… 

_"Ai… shi…" he whispered to Seika, his mouth close to her ear, "te… ru…" _

_She smiled and turned her body to face him as he lowered himself onto her, their lips meeting. "Watashi mo, anata wa aishite," she said to him in-between their butterfly kisses, "zutto… zutto aishiteru." [I love you too. I'll always, always love you.] _

_ "…zutto…"  
[always] _

_ … _

_ "Zutto ashiteru…"  
[I'll always love you] _

_ …_

"You see them don't you?" Seika asked, after watching Yue's blank expression in silence for a few moments. 

"Hoe?" said Sakura in surprise. She obviously had no idea what was going on. 

"I'll explain to you later," whispered Eriol to her. "Let these two talk it out first." 

Yue turned away, refusing to answer her question. 

"I don't really know how to say this," Seika persisted, though in a tone warmer than before. "I'm sorry if it troubles you, Yue-san, the memories I mean. You didn't need to save me, but you did, knowing full well the circumstances. I… I love you, Yue. I always have." 

Yue felt his body go rigid at Seika words. "I know," he said in response. 

"Though," she continued, "I can understand why you reject me. I can understand it now," she smiled sadly to herself. "You don't need to return my love. It wouldn't have been the same as before anyway, now that I know. I'm sorry for being rash." 

His heart was beating fast. He clenched his fist, determined not to give himself away again, and said in a voice carefully plucked of emotion, "Seika, I want you to live." 

"Yes Seika-san, we all want you to live. We all want you around," added in Sakura and releasing some of the tension between the two Guardians. Yue couldn't have imagined a better time for her to interfere. 

"W-what do you mean?" 

"Please Seika-san," said Sakura, "even if my dreams speak of your death, I want to fight to prevent it! I'm sure everyone here in this room agrees too, even Yue-san, right Yue-san?" Yue nodded. "You may think you don't mean much to us, but you do, Seika-san. We want to find out more about you and we want to be friends with you. We want to be able to be a new family to you, and we hope that you feel the same way. 

"I know things have not been too well during the past few days, and I haven't been of much help to you at all. Demo, if you let us try, maybe we can help you with this. I'm sure no one wants to let you die, Seika-san. So please, please for us and the hope for your future, please don't think that way." Sakura finished earnestly. 

"And this does not concern only you, Seika. This concerns every one of us here too," said Eriol stepping in to help. 

Seika was a little surprised, as she looked round the room at all the worried faces, showing their approval of what Sakura and Eriol said. Her emotions were starting to well up within her, and tear droplets were forming at the sides of her eyes. She nodded and smiled to Sakura's relief and said the word that released the burden in Yue's heart, "I will live. I will live on." 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Okaeri nasai, Sakura-chan," greeted Fujitaka as Sakura slipped of her shoes at the door. 

"Tadaima," she said, smiling happily. "Gomen neh, Ottou-san. I haven't been home much." 

"That's ok, I understand. I'm sure you had to attend to lots of things with Hiiragizawa-san," said Fujitaka, smiling at his daughter. 

"Oi Kaijuu! You're late," came a voice from the stairs. 

"ONII-CHAN!" 

Touya walked down the flight of stairs to meet his sister, all the time keeping his eye on the retreating figure outside the window on the street even as he was popping strawberries from the bowl he was carrying into his mouth. "Omae…" he muttered under his breath fiercely. [omae: 'you' in casual terms] 

"Hoe?" 

"Did Yuki come with you as well?" he asked. 

"Oh Eriol-kun asked him to stay back awhile, so I left first," said Sakura. 

"Sou…" 

Sakura noticed her brother had a distant look in his eyes just as she mentioned about Yukito. Aside the fact that she still hated being called 'kaijuu', she was concerned. _Hoe? It's about 10am, and Ottou-san is still at home! _Now that was a weird factor to consider too. Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Sakura-chan, how about you go put down your bag and freshen up? Come to the living room later, we have something to talk about," said her father with cheerfully. 

"Ah aa…" 

Up the flight of stairs she went, closing the door after she stepped into her room. No sooner had she done so did Kero pop out of her bag. 

"Waiii! It feels good to be back!" he said, zooming in for the drawer his 'room' was in. "I forgot to bring along my stash of sweets when we went to Tomoyo-chan's house," he said, taking out a plastic bag of goodies from a corner of the drawer and waving it around like a maniac on a high. "Too bad Suppi can't have these!!" 

"Kero-chan!" reprimanded Sakura. "Didn't Tomoyo-chan feed you with enough cakes at her place already?" [^^6] 

Opening her closet, Sakura reached for the dress closest within her reach and took it out. Facing the open closet, she undressed and slipped on the article of clothing, knowing that Kero was probably too hyped with his bag of sweets to notice she'd even changed. Normally, she would chase him out though. She'd been getting into the habit of chasing him out or closing his drawer shut when he refused to go ever since she hit 13. 

"Neh Kero-chan, do you think that my dream will come true?" 

Kero sighed and paused from his rampage on the plastic bag. "To tell you the truth, I don't know." The Sun Guardian looked solemnly at Sakura as he spoke. "Most of the time, dreams foretell the future, but no one can be 100% sure that whatever it is will happen. In most cases for magicians and sorcerers, the dreams are fulfilled as their minds are advanced enough to sort out the dreams that are fiction and the dreams that are not. However the magicians and sorcerers referred to in this line of magic have experience in fortune prediction. For amateurs such as yourself, it's best not to trust these dreams, but to be wary of them." 

"Demo Kero-chan, you told me last time that my dream was important, the one of the last judgment." 

"That's because it was! It's important that you take note of your dreams, whether or not you think they are reliable or not because you can't be sure of either yet. That's why I told you it was important." 

"Hmm… I suppose you are right, Kero-chan. Well, I have to go down now." 

"Remember to bring up some snacks for me!" 

"Hai hai," said Sakura as she heading out of her room and down to the living room. Her father and brother were already seated there and waiting for her, and Sakura suddenly felt that there was definitely some serious news waiting to be heard. 

Sakura moved to the middle of the room and sat on the couch facing her father, who smiled at her as their eyes met. Touya was looking a little put-off for some reason. 

"Sakura-chan, I suppose I should start by telling you about Touya-kun," said Fujitaka. 

"Hoe? Onii-chan?" 

"Sou neh. Touya will be going abroad to England to study, and will be leaving today." 

"HOEEE!!!!" 

"No need to get so excited, Kaijuu. I won't be gone long," said Touya, poking fun at Sakura as usual. 

"How come you're going all of a sudden? I thought you didn't want to go to college because you wanted to start working early," said Sakura. 

"Touya-kun wanted to do that to help with our family's financial situation," explained Fujitaka, "but I encouraged him to take up a scholarship. Your brother is very smart you know." 

"What time will you be going?" asked Sakura. 

"Quite soon actually," said Fujitaka. "We've already got our luggage packed." 

"Hoe?" said Sakura, as she saw the large suitcases behind the sofa. Then she saw something on one of them. "Ottou-san, you're going too?" she asked, holding the baggage tag with his name and particulars written on it. 

"Aa, that was the other thing I was going to tell you." 

"Hoe?" 

"There is an exhibition near Touya's new college that the university I work at has set up, and they need my help there," said Fujitaka. 

Sakura bowed her head as she realised what this would mean. _Will I be alone at home? _Sakura thought to herself as she fingered with the edges of her dress. "How long will you be away?" she asked. 

"About two weeks and I will be back," said Fujitaka smiling. "I know what you are thinking, and I've already gotten it planned. You'll be staying at the Daidouji place till I get back. I arranged it with Sonomi-kun just before she left this morning." 

"Hontou?" said Sakura, her face lighting up with joy. 

"Hai." 

"Cheh, why do we need to leave her to that kuso gaki," grumbled Touya as he crossed his arms in annoyance. [kuso gaki: damn brat] 

"Onii-chan!" 

"Mah mah! Futari tomo," said Fujitaka, amused still by his two children despite the passing of years. "Well, Touya and I had better get moving to the airport now if we want to get there on time." [calm down you two] 

"HOEE!!! SO EARLY?" 

"Yeah," said Touya, "I told you you were late." 

"Demo demo… you won't get to say goodbye to Yukito-san will you?" asked Sakura. Touya remained silent. 

"Our decision was quite last-minute actually, and we didn't inform you earlier because we figured you were busy," said Fujitaka. 

_So that's why he looked disappointed when I said that Yukito-san wasn't with me. _Sakura lifted her eyes to look at her brother's stern face, with that same distant look on it again._ Poor Onii-chan… If I were to go away, I would like to be able to say goodbye to my close friends too. And I guess for Onii-chan, Yukito-san is more than a friend._

"Well then, let's go, Touya-kun," said Fujitaka, getting up and moving towards the suitcases. 

"Aa." 

Sakura watched as they put on their coats and lifted the suitcases by their handles, arms straining with the weight. Even though she knew she would be staying with Tomoyo, Sakura couldn't help but feel lonely just then. To have both her family members gone and not having to follow her usual daily schedule of either cooking or cleaning would feel a little unusual. 

"Ottou-san, will you be taking a cab to the airport?" asked Sakura. 

"Hai. Oh would you like to go hail one for us? I forgot I left some notes back in my office," said Fujitaka as he put down the suitcase and turned to walk back down the corridor of their house. 

"Hai!" said Sakura as she smiled, glad that she could be of help. She rushed to unlatch the front door and ran out to the main road, Touya not far behind bringing out the luggage. While she stood by the roadside trying to flag down a cab, she couldn't help but feel the scene being a reply of how Kaho left that day. _Demo,_ she thought to herself in an attempt to keep her spirits up, _they'll be back. They'll be back soon. _

Soon the cab was ready and waiting, and Fujitaka emerged from the house carrying his neatly packed envelopes of documents. "Arigatou," he said to Sakura as he got into the cab with Touya. "We'll be back before you know it." 

Sakura smiled and waved, and she continued waving as the cab disappeared down the bend in the road. Slowly, she turned around and walked back to the house, knowing her own luggage needed to be packed. No sooner had she thought so that her cell phone started ringing. Fishing for her phone in her pocket, she finally got it out and answered the call. 

"Moushi moushi, Sakura desu." 

"Sakura-chan!" cried Tomoyo over the phone. 

"Tomoyo-chan?" said Sakura, glad to hear her friend's voice. 

"Kaa-san just informed me that you're coming over to stay! You don't need to bring any clothes; I'll provide everything! Oh hohohohohoho~! (Tomoyo's evil laugher here)" 

"Hoe… [^^6]" 

"Sakura-chan, you'll be coming over soon right?" 

"Hai. Neh Tomoyo-chan, is Yukito-san still at your place?" 

"Yukito-san? Hai, he's still here. Li-kun is here too." 

"Hoe? I thought he went home after walking me home!" 

"I thought so too, but he came back." 

"Sou desu ka? I think I should go back quickly too, Eriol must have something important planned but let me go because he knew about Ottou-san." 

"I think so too," said Tomoyo. 

"Dewa, I'll see you soon, Tomoyo-chan!" said Sakura cheerfully. 

"Hai!" 

*~*~*~*~*

**Scribbles  
***stretches her limbs* ahhhh.... I've been sitting in front of the com for about 4 hours trying to get this pathetic chapter out. Not that it sounds anything near satisfactory anyway. I took longer for this chapter than the last, mostly because school started and I didn't really notice the time passing with the amount of homework dumped on us poor schooling idiots. Believe me, I felt really bad when I realised I put this on hold for over a month. My holidays began this week though, and so after spending half the holidays going back to bloody school for their bloody extra lessons, I was finally able to sit myself down to do this thing.

Poor Syaoran's been left out a lot during these few chapters neh? ^^666 gomen nasai Li-kun~! I promise you'll get fist place in the next chapter. Hmm... what else.... hmm... oh if you're wondering, I sent Touya to _England _for a reason. Go figure. Well well... we are progressing a little with the Yue and Seika thing are we not? ^_^ I don't know how many people are reading this and are already Yue and Seika fans (i think the number is 0), but the reason i started this fic actually is from the idea of Yue and Seika. Along the way of story development then did I add in Tomoyo and Eriol, just for the sake of it, since my mother and I are a Tomoyo fans to a certain extent. Well I just said all those crap up there 'cuz there's gonna be more Yue and Seika moments up ahead, being that the story is based on them, so er well.... its just a warning. ah yes! i got out this scan of the two, its till incomplete (as usual), but can be viewed here:  
http://www.geocities.com/tender_tailz/yue_seika2.jpg

well then, as usual, review onegai~! Perhaps i should do those threats.... if i don't get a nice 10 reviews concerning the story... either I don't continue, or Tomoyo and Eriol fans will just have to start weeping. bleah :þ

check out the nice time that i've finally finished this thing and am ready to post: **4.17AM**


	13. Chapter 13: Could It Be, A New Love?

**Chapter 13**

"So Hiragiizawa, what was it you wanted to tell me?" asked Syaoran. He had barely left the Kinomoto residence for more than a few minutes when he heard Eriol's eerie Clow-like voice calling him in his mind to return to the Daidouji mansion. 

Eriol smiled his like his usual sunshiny self. "Well since you put it so bluntly…" 

_This guy really pisses me off sometimes. Can't he just stop smiling like some idiot? _

Unexpectedly, Eriol's smile vanished at that moment, and he looked at Syaoran squarely in the eye. "I asked you back because I have something to tell you that I feel Sakura should not know yet." 

"Eh?" 

"Listen, and listen closely, my descendant," began Eriol. Syaoran nodded, looking intently at Eriol. "I was planning to go with Seika to that place, but when I tried using my powers to find the place this morning, I noticed something." His expression darkened as he stepped closer to Syaoran and lowered his voice. "Our powers are useless in there." 

"Nani!?" Syaoran stepped back, utterly stunned. "Just what do you mean 'our powers are useless in there'?" 

"There is a shield protecting anyone from entering the place," said Eriol. "I projected my powers and used a mirror of the Sword Card to slice through the barrier. Instead of cutting through the barrier however, my wand went right through the barrier, not because the Sword made a hole, but rather because the dark magic I rely on was absorbed. My wand was not able to function past the barrier." 

"So what you're saying is, if we were to go across, you wouldn't be able to help Sakura in any way?" Syaoran realised. 

Eriol evaded the question with ease. "Don't tell her. Or at least, don't tell her yet. I don't want to Sakura to worry yet, with all that's going on." 

"Wakata," said Syaoran, although he didn't really like the sound of it. 

Eriol then smiled again, as if nothing had happened. "Good. Well you'll have to excuse me now, I have something to attend to," he said. 

In less than a minute, Syaoran was out and walking slowly towards the living room. This latest bit of information was bad news. Even if Eriol was not as powerful as he once was, he was still very much needed. Sakura may be considered a high-ranking sorceress, but the fact was that they were treading on unknown grounds, something that was not of this world at all. How would she be measured up as there? And by the show that Akuma presented himself with, things looked bad. Sakura was captured so easily, and he could not do a thing to help her either. The sheer force manifesting itself in the room that day was so overwhelming. What if all of the magicians there were as powerful as him? He would not be much help to Sakura if they were. _If Seika hadn't stepped in that time… _

He didn't want to think what might have happened. He hated feeling so useless alongside Sakura. Normal guys would be protecting their loved ones, not the other way round. _Does this make me a weakling? _Him. Li Syaoran the leader of the Li clan, a weakling. Perhaps not to his loving family back in Hong Kong, but to his girlfriend, it was more than just an insult to him. Still the small voice spoke in his head. 

_"That's not true! Shaoran-kun has always been there to help me!" _

_ "I didn't do anyth-" _he had tried to protest. 

_"Shaoran-kun has honestly has helped me a lot, and besides… I feel comforted when I know that Syaoran-kun is with me!"   
_[Scene from book 11 of the manga] 

Syaoran smiled in remembrance of what Sakura had said back then. He was awash with mixed feelings of discontent and relief and the same time. Unsatisfied that he was unable to do more for someone who deserved so much more than what he could provide, and relieved that she did not mind, nor did she ever complain even once. Calling out his sword, he looked at it in the hallway, lost in thought. _If being there for her is all I can do, then I'd better make the best of it. _He griped the handle tightly; the blade of his sword reflected his strong determination. _And with this sword, I swear I will protect her with my life. _

*~*~*~*~* 

Once Syaoran was out of the room, Eriol let out a sigh, not of relief though. He needed to be alone desperately, but being the responsible person he was, he could never put his own desires before his duties. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope. One might think it extremely fast for a letter from England to reach Japan that quickly, but here was magic involved in this and Eriol knew it all too well. On the front of the envelope was his name written neatly in Japanese, a penmanship he could not be mistaken about. He turned the envelope over to its flipside and tore through the sealed end, sliding the letter out. It read, 

_Dearest Eriol,   
How are you? Things have been going fine here, so there's no need to worry about me. My mother has been getting better after the accident, though I would have to stay in England for a while longer. How is everyone there? I hope Sakura and the others are doing well, as do I hope you are too. _

_There is something I have been keeping from you for the past few weeks before I returned to England, but I had been waiting for an appropriate time to tell you. I'm sure you have noticed already, that my powers have been growing quite a bit. You have felt them haven't you? I realised that I was able to see into the future. I'm aware that you lost this ability when you divided your power, and since then you haven't been wiling to grow in strength in order to let Sakura take the lead, it has never returned. _

_I know you would never have entertained the idea of what I'm going to say while I was with you in Japan, so I will tell it to you now. Eriol, it will not be possible for us to be together in the future. Please don't be angry, at me or at what I've just said. And please accept it that I will not be able to reveal to you any explanations. You will not be alone though. There will come someone who surpasses me and will take on a higher position in your heart… _

Eriol's hand trembled as he struggled to read on. 

_Do not be afraid, for you will need her more than ever in this battle you will face. Do not be intimidated; Akuma is not who he seems. Remember your past, and you will find the future. Finally, as a gift to your inquisition, I have enclosed her name in this letter. You know who I'm speaking of, don't you? Just concentrate on this letter and you will find it. _

_ Mizuki Kaho_

As he stood in the room, Eriol could feel his stomach tying itself into multiple knots. His heart was in torture at the coldness of Kaho's words, and his lungs simply refused to take in the required amount of air he needed. 

_Why? Why is she doing this? Why does she want me to know so urgently? Could she forget me that easily?_

Try as he may, he knew he would never uncover any reasons. He meant it when he told Sakura to divide his powers, and he meant it when he confessed his love to Kaho, all because he was sure he would share his future with Kaho. Now he couldn't explain why she was breaking up with him. Looking at the letter again, he noticed painfully, that she did not even mention any lingering feelings she had for him. No 'this is painful for me too', or 'I miss you just as much'. He remembered the painful words she said to him before she left, 'your heart will no longer be mine'. How could she even have doubted him? Could it really be that the kiss they shared on the day she left was the last they would ever have? Was it the last moment they would have as a couple? _How could it be? _Eriol debated in his mind. 

But he knew better. While he still was able to, he knew seeing into the future did not necessarily mean that what he saw would definitely turn out that way, especially matters concerning the heart. 'The heart wavers', he recalled the quote, and found it only too true. If what he saw of him and Kaho together were true and 100% reliable, then Sakura and Yukito would have been together a long time ago as well. So now the question stood before him: should he look into his future once more? 

Eriol laid the letter on the desk and ran his hand over its surface. His eyes looked at the elegantly designed paper in dismay, his heart in confusion; certainly one of those rare moments in his life. 

"Kaho," he whispered her name, before shutting his eyes, feeling the lump in his throat rising. _Is this how you really want it to be? _

A gentle breeze came in through the window, blowing past his face as if it were a soft answer to his unspoken question. Taking it to be a conformation of his doubts, he sorrowfully opened his eyes and sent his energy flowing into the letter. 

The letter glowed in a red aura, and Eriol continued to focus on it. Words were appearing randomly in his head in a much more scattered manner compared to when he was fortune telling in his previous life. They were forming up now, the chosen characters rising out of the mess of words in his mind. 

_T – O – M – O – - _

"Eriol-saaamaaaaa!!!!!" cried Nakuru exuberantly as she tore into the room. 

Eriol almost jumped, but he crushed the letter in his hand instead, the red aura vanishing from the letter, as did the words in his mind. "Yes, Nakuru?" he said, turning around as calmly as possible. 

Nakuru bounded up to him with a huge smile on her face, wearing an apron with a pocket on the front in which Eriol noticed, was a very drunk Suppi-chan. "Tomoyo-chan and I have been in the kitchen making cakes this morning!" she announced, accompanied by a hiccup from the sugar-high dark Sun Guardian. 

"That's nice," said Eriol, happy to see his Guardians in such a joyful mood. 

"Would you like some?" asked Nakuru. "Tomoyo-san is going to bring the cake over!" she then added before he could answer. 

"Tomoyo?" Now that name was ringing bells in his head. 

"Haaai! Tomoyo-san will bring it over!" Nakuru said gleefully, anxious to let Eriol have a taste of her creation. "Suppi-chan certainly enjoyed it, neh Suppi-chan?" 

"Waaaaaaiii!" Suppi said, pausing for a break from chomping on a bar of chocolate he brought along in the apron pocket. 

Nakuru grinned and patted Suppi on the head. "Saa, we're gonna have to go back to help clean up the mess Suppi-chan made in the kitchen." She pouted at the Sun Guardian. "It's all his fault!" The patting turned into poking. 

"Itaiiii" Suppi reached up to rub his head, visibly displeased. 

Eriol couldn't help but chuckle at what a comical pair his two Guardians made. "All right you two, get going now." 

"Hai Eriol-sama!" Nakuru said as she turned and zoomed out of the room in about the same way she came in. 

Eriol stood for a moment facing the doorway before turning back to face the window. 

_Tomoyo.  
  
_Oh yes, it was an answer he already knew, just like Kaho mentioned in her letter. Amidst all the recent events that had been going on, he had left the matter aside. Did Tomoyo really feel like speaking to him after the incident in the garden anyway? He could only give guess to any assumptions. Walking to the desk, he moved in to sit on the chair and sighed, leaning back. It would have felt a great deal better if he was in his old leather chair back at Clow's house, just that Clow's house had ceased its existence along with the chair. Besides, he didn't want to think of himself as Clow anymore. His duty was done, and Clow's spirit was at rest. 

Tilting his head downward, he remembered Tomoyo's slender form lying over him that night as he tried to comfort her as best he could. _Her hair was so soft and smooth to touch… _

_Snap out of it! _It was Kaho that he loved, his conscience insisted stubbornly. There was no possible reason why he would abandon his feelings for Kaho, not even for Tomoyo, and not even if Kaho told him he would. They were destined to be as one. _Or were they_? He had to admit, he did have strong feelings for Tomoyo, but he couldn't be sure of what nature they were. It always pleased him when he received letters from her while he was in England though. 

"Anou… Hiiragizawa-kun?" called a gentle voice behind Eriol. 

"Hai, Tomoyo-san." He immediately swiveled the chair round to face her, putting on his best smile and tossing away the letter in his hand discretely. Strangely, part of him wasn't ready to let anyone else know that he had received word from Kaho. 

As she smiled back at him, his heart started pounding, and he felt a queasy feeling in his gut. She was so beautiful, standing there with her hair done up in an elegant braid that was pinned up in neatly at the back of her head, and wearing a soft yellow dress lined with lace and with a white apron tied on with an enormous bow on her back. She was carrying a tray with a few plates of cake slices on them, together with a drink for him. The thought that she was considerate enough to prepare such a dish for him amazed him. She could have easily sent one of her servants to do the job. 

"I'll just leave the tray here," she said, gently placing the tray on the desk in front of him before turning to leave. 

He caught one of her hands as she passed him. He loved the sensation of her soft and smooth hand in his, for reasons he could not answer himself. 

"No wait, stay with me," he said. To his ears, it almost sounded like a plea. 

He was relieved when she nodded and smiled at him, imagining how tense the atmosphere would be if not for her cheerful outward appearance. She withdrew her hand from his to move a chair to the desk. 

"Let me help you," Eriol insisted, taking the chair from her hands and setting it down next to his. "Douzo," he said, offering her the seat. 

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Tomoyo said politely with as she sat. 

"So tell me, who made these wonderful creations?" 

"This one was made by Nakuru," said Tomoyo, pointing to a chocolate cake with fudge spread messily over it. Eriol could almost relive all those meals he had to put up while he was in Tomoeda before Kaho came back. Not a pleasant thought. 

He cleared his throat. "And I take it you made this?" he said, indicating the beautifully decorated strawberry cake slice with fresh cold strawberry halves and cream on the top. Tomoyo blushed slightly and nodded. 

"Hai." 

He definitely would have to try that one first before Nakuru's cake killed him off. He cut a portion of the slice of cake with his fork, then allowed his mouth to bask in its heavenly sensation. "Oishii desu!" he said, bringing on a deeper blush to Tomoyo's fair and beautiful face. 

"I'm glad you like it." 

Eriol continued eating the cake, feeling almost as if part of his character was similar to Suppi's. Nothing brightens up a depressing situation more than a big dose of sugar. 

"I'm sorry about the other night," Tomoyo said softly, while the last portion of her cake was midway in the journey to his mouth. "I wasn't quite myself." 

"Daijoubu," said Eriol, looking at her tenderly. "There's no need to apologize." 

Tomoyo smiled yet again at his words, silently thanking him for understanding her strange behaviour that night in the garden. Somehow, there was a mutual understanding between them not to bring that up again after Tomoyo apologised. Eriol didn't want to think about it as it would bring him back to his conflicting emotions about both Tomoyo and Kaho, and as of now, he was comfortable with the presence of Tomoyo with him. Tomoyo didn't want to bring it up again as it embarrassed her to have acted to rashly and outrageously to anyone, especially Eriol. 

"By the way, I never did thank you for your continuous support in your letters while I was in England," said Eriol as he finished the slice of strawberry cream cake, and reluctantly started on the chocolate slice. 

"I enjoyed writing to Hiiragizawa-kun," answered Tomoyo. "You always replied." 

When Eriol had finally swallowed the last of Nakuru's cake, he was thankful that the fudge was able to overwhelm his taste buds long enough for him to reach for his drink. Seeing that he had finished, Tomoyo stood to clear the tray when she saw a crushed piece of paper on the floor. Unwanted rubbish lying out of the dustbin, she thought. As she bent to pick it up, Eriol realised his mistake. 

"Tomoyo-san dame!" [dame: stop; no good] 

Tomoyo looked up at him quizzically. 

"That letter is mine," he said. 

_Did I just say 'letter'?_

Too late he knew, as Tomoyo rose from her position. "Anou… Mizuki-sensei kara?" she asked, looking down. [Is it from Mizuki-sensei?] 

"Aa." 

"…Souka…" 

She reached across him to take the tray without another word. Her eyes would not meet his. She had walked to the doorway of the room when Eriol decided to tell her. 

"Kaho has broken up with me." 

A crashing sound was heard as the tray slipped from Tomoyo's hands. _There go the plates,_ Eriol thought to himself. Somehow deep inside him, something wanted Tomoyo to know this matter, whether or not it opposed his loyalty to Kaho. He didn't think that the dropping of the tray was a good sign though. 

"I… I'm sorry," said Tomoyo. He couldn't tell if the apology was for the tray or for him. 

Perhaps it was Tomoyo's reaction, or maybe it was the painful remembrance that he was just dumped, but either one caused him to bring his fist down on the desk with enough force to break through it before he realised it was Daidouji property and restrained himself. 

"You don't need to apologise," he repeated, now standing with both hands resting on the desk. Although his back was facing her, Eriol could sense that Tomoyo was walking up to him, and in someway he felt comforted to know that there was someone who cared. As she was coming nearer, he could hear the soft patting sound her gentle footsteps made on the parquet floor until she was right next to him again. 

"I feel that I should," she said in all respect and honesty. 

"Well don't," Eriol almost raised his voice. He felt his willpower quickly ebbing away with each word that he uttered, and his efforts to try and conceal the pain he was feeling were becoming more futile. He bowed his head as he let out a chocked sob, feeling more pathetic than ever in Tomoyo's presence. "I thought," he tried to begin as he lifted his head to look out the window, "that we were meant to be." His face grimaced as he bowed his head again, reluctant to let Tomoyo see him being torn apart. He fisted his hands in anger. "It turned out I was wrong from the beginning." 

Tomoyo stood silently beside him, unable to think of a thing to say to help comfort him. As his legs gave way, Eriol slumped into the chair again, covering his eyes with his hand, still unwilling to let Tomoyo see him as a broken man. Nothing more was said between them as the room grew silent and Eriol thought Tomoyo had left without his knowledge. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand gently resting on his thigh. He almost looked up, had he not been crying. Someone was beginning to sing to him in a voice fit for the Gods.

_Smile, though your heart is aching  
__Smile, even though it's breaking   
When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by   
If you smile through your fears and sorrow   
Smile, and maybe tomorrow   
You'll see the sun come shining through   
_

_If you light up your face with gladness   
Hide every trace of sadness   
Although a tear maybe ever so near   
That's the time you must keep on trying   
Smile, what's the use of crying   
You'll find that life is still worthwhile   
If you just smile _

Eriol turned to look at Tomoyo, his hand no longer covering his eyes. She was smiling at him, looking as beautiful as he imagined every smile of hers would be. His hand moved closer to hers, and finally he took her small delicate hand in his. 

"Thank you," he said, smiling. 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Scribbles  
***looks at the date* ^^6 took really long to produce this short chapter. I'm so sorry ^^66  
I guess this chapter didn't turn out the way I imagined it to be anyway. But you T+E fans got something out of it ^^6 and I did keep my promise to let Syaoran have the first say. Don't give up reading though! I just need something to kick me back into pace. Maybe a few nagging reviews would help XD and right now, all I wanna do is hurry up and get that stupid Yue and Seika drawing finished. *sigh* sayuri the queen of procrastination. 

Oh yeah, the song there is _Smile_ I think, and can be found in quite a number of places sung by quite a number of people ^^6 including Sinatra. It was featured in the movie _My Girl 2_ when Vada's mother sang it. I love that song ^_^


	14. Chapter 14: Explanations and Unexpected ...

**Wandering Star**  
**Chapter 14   
**(contains such a great amount of dialogue _) 

"Sakura-chan!" greeted Tomoyo merrily as she ran to the approaching honey-haired sorceress. 

"Tadaima," said Sakura as Tomoyo caught her in a friendly hug. "Tomoyo-chan! You sure look really genki today! Did something good happen?" 

Tomoyo giggled, then whispered into Sakura ear, "I've just finished a new costume for you!" 

"Hoe…" [^_^6] 

"Come on," said Tomoyo. "Everyone's been waiting for you!" 

Tomoyo took Sakura by hand and rushed her back into the house. True, finishing the costume that morning had made her absolutely delighted, but what happened after that made her feel even better. 

It wasn't as people would have suspected if they knew. No, she was not delighting in Eriol and Kaho's breakup. Instead, it made her happy to know that she could in some way, make Eriol feel better about the situation. 

Her heart had been fluttering the whole time since her asked her to stay with him, and she was half afraid her voice would tremble when she sang to him. But things turned out ok, and she was pleased. _So long as Hiiragizawa, iie, so long as Eriol-kun is happy, I'm happy too. _She blushed slightly at the remembrance of how he told her to call him by his name. He looked so sweet and sincere that she couldn't resist his request. 

"Hoe?" said Sakura. "Tomoyo-chan, you're blushing!" 

"Anou…" _Oh dear, how should I explain it? _"Iie nan demo nai desu!" she said. "By the way, I made a strawberry cake this morning. Would you like to have some, Kero-chan?" asked Tomoyo, trying to change the subject. 

"CAKE? DID YOU SAY CAKE?" an orange head with a set of rounded ears popped out of Sakura's backpack. "WAII WAII!!! Is it all MINE? Does Suppi get any? Can I eat ALL of it?" 

Tomoyo smiled as Sakura reprimanded the little Sun Guardian for being selfish. "Well, I set aside a special portion for you, Kero-chan. Everyone else will be sharing the rest." _Well… Eriol-kun could always have another slice if he wished…_

"Waii!! Tomoyo you're the best!!!" said Kero as he flew out of Sakura's bag to cuddle up on Tomoyo's shoulder. 

Soon, they were in the hall where Eriol was seated with Suppi and Syaoran beside him. Nakuru had apparently been caught up in making more cookies and Yue and Seika were standing at opposite ends of the hall. 

"Okaeri nasai, Sakura-san," said Eriol, while Syaoran motioned for her to sit next to him. 

"Tadaima!" said Sakura, smiling as she moved to the sit in the space set for her, snuggling beside Syaoran and giving him a peck on his cheek, which immediately turned him bright red. 

"I'll go get the cake," said Tomoyo, making her exit to the kitchen, Kero trailing close behind her. 

Sakura noticed the lingering look Eriol gave Tomoyo as she retreated down the long hallway. Certainly something was up between them, and somehow she was thrilled at the thought. She was just about to ask Eriol about Tomoyo when Eriol cleared his throat and turned to look at her with a bright smile. 

"Saa Sakura-san, I'd best fill you in on everything now," he said. 

"Hai." Oh well, she thought. She'd just have to grab Tomoyo for some interrogation later. 

Eriol looked at Seika momentarily, expecting her to come over to help him, but the Star Guardian looked so distracted and distanced that he decided to just leave her alone. "While you were recovering from Akuma's attack, I managed to find out more about Seika." 

Sakura paid close attention to Eriol as he continued, "It is in my belief that Seika is from an alternate world similar to ours, called 'Eden'. My reasoning behind this is that she is able to recalled vividly, people who are in our world as well. For example, we know from what she has said that Clow was not only her master and creator, but also her suitor. I, in my previous life, do not have any record of this." 

Eriol chose his words carefully, not wanting to say anything that might risk hurting Seika's feelings. _That's why I'll have to leave out the part about Clow and his wife… and that jewel._ He figured that Seika might have been a fluke of Clow's creation, that perhaps things just turned out the way it did and Seika was born, but not on purpose. _Perhaps it was because Clow wanted to revive his wife… _

"So that is to say that Seika and the Clow-sama, Yue-san and Kero-chan she refers to are all from this 'alternate world'?" asked Sakura. 

"I believe so." 

"And that's also why Seika seems to have a past connection with Yue, though he can't recall it because she's referring to the Yue of this 'Eden' world!" 

"Sou." 

Sakura thought for a moment, trying to remember bits of what happened before she lost consciousness during the attack. "Then that portal you were referring to… that must be the way to 'Eden' then!" 

"And Akuma is from this 'Eden'? Seika seemed to have lashed out at him, mentioning that he was the one who killed Clow and the other Guardians," Syaoran added. 

"Anou… Akuma-san wa dare?" Sakura asked embarrassedly. She knew she was the only clueless one in the room. 

"Akuma, or I think that's the alias he gave himself, is the one who attacked you earlier. Seika was the one who saved your life from him," Eriol explained. "But because she used up almost all of her power in the process, she was very near 'death', as you would refer to it." 

"Hontou desu ka? Like… like what happened to Yue-san?" exclaimed Sakura. "Gomen nasai Seika-san!" she said, immediately standing up and making multiple bows to the Star Guardian. 

Seika turned at the sound of her name, distracted by a pair of butterflies that had fluttered in through the window earlier on and were just about making their exit 

_together…_

She eyed Sakura for a moment before murmuring a soft, "Daijoubu" before her attention returned to the movement outside the window. 

"Anou…" 

"That's alright Sakura-san, there's no need for you to continue standing."

"Hoe!" She sat quickly, puffing up the couch were Syaoran sat and causing Suppi to bounce off. 

"HOEE!!!" Sakura yelped as she tried frantically to catch the falling and very annoyed dark Sun Guardian.  
[^^6] 

"Will you just calm down?" Yue called out from where he stood leaning against the wall. 

"Yue-san…" Sakura said. His words really stung sometimes. Meekly, she placed Suppi on where he was originally seated before returning to her seat, looking down. 

"Don't mind him," said Syaoran defensively. "He's just not happy with what happened next, after Seika saved you." 

"Hoe?" 

"I suppose that's why you took a little longer to regain consciousness," said Eriol, while Sakura continued looking at him with a clueless expression. "Seika was greatly weakened after her attack on Akuma." 

"So Yue had to transfer some of his energy to her to save her life," filled in Ruby Moon, who had just entered the scene, sashaying past her fellow Moon Guardian. 

Yue scowled at her. 

"I don't think he liked her very much after that," continued Ruby Moon teasingly. 

"Ruby Moon!" rebuked her master. 

It was too late, Eriol knew; the damage had been done. Across the room, Seika was looking at Yue with hurt reflecting in her deep blue eyes. _Ruby Moon should have known better than to toy with such a sensitive issue, even if she had meant it jokingly_. He would have to deal with her later. Right now the wounded Star Guardian was making her way swiftly to the large window, her elegant white wings emerging from her back. 

"Seika-san!" cried Sakura. 

"Seika!" Yue called in vain, feeling that it was his fault for not speaking up to Ruby Moon. But then again, what could he have said?

By the time the group had gathered at the window, Seika was nowhere to be seen. 

"Yue-san please go after her," Sakura pleaded. 

Yue nodded, willing his wings to come forth before taking flight from the window as well. 

"I want to go too!" said Ruby Moon. 

"Oh no you don't," Eriol stopped her. "Your wings are clipped," he said with a snap of his fingers. Instantly, her wings disappeared, leaving a rather sulky Ruby Moon. 

"Do you think we'll get her back?" asked Syaoran. 

Eriol thought about his answer. "Sakura-san, if Yue doesn't manage to bring Seika back, I'm afraid she'll be in grave danger." 

"Anou… wakarimasen, Eriol-kun," said Sakura. 

"If Yue doesn't stop her in time, Seika will very likely head toward that portal, and I'm not sure she has the capability to make it back to Eden." 

"Are you saying that she will…" said Syaoran. 

"Die," Eriol finished for him. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Yue flew as swiftly as he could manage, his wings spread out to their maximum, then pushing back in powerful thrusts. He soared through the sky, looking at all sides for a sign that Seika was nearby. No such luck. Then a thought struck him to try looking above the clouds where there would be no possible obstructions to his view. 

In a few seconds, he emerged from the layer of clouds, hovering in mid-air while he scanned the skies for a trace of the Star Guardian. At first he couldn't make out much besides the stray tuffs of clouds. 

_There!_

To his right was a tiny spec that could barely be made out with the distance it was from him. Without another second to think, he dashed after her, flying at such a speed that the wind blowing against him was beginning to get painful. But Yue didn't care; all he wanted to do was make sure Seika was back in the house safely. He wouldn't want to risk her collapsing again. 

Despite the excuses he was giving himself, Yue knew in his heart that the one thing that was repeating itself over and over again was: _I don't want to loose her._

Even at his fastest, Yue somehow knew it was almost impossible for him to catch up with Seika. The speed she was going at was almost supernatural for any other flying creature to meet. He pushed himself more, his limbs now feeling like they were being pulled out of their sockets, and the wind now whipping at his body. He knew his limit was near. 

"Seika!" he called in desperation, hoping she would hear him and turn back, or slow down at least. She made no response, whether or not she heard him, though he doubted she did. The wind was roaring so loudly in his ears that he couldn't even hear himself well. 

_Wait… isn't that… the portal? _True enough, he could see the hole in the sky a little ahead of Seika. Strangely it seemed to be camouflaged. It was no longer black in colour but rather it was a pale blue shade, blending with the sky and invisible to the naked eye. But it was obvious Seika knew exactly where it was, because she was slowing down. 

It was then that Yue realised what Seika came here for. He should have known from the start! It was a wonder to him why he could be so blind sometimes. Now he really had to stop her. 

"SEIKA!" 

No response, though she seemed to come to a stop and was facing the portal. From where Yue was, it looked as if Seika was in deep thought, and if he was lucky that would leave him with enough time to stop her. 

He tried again. "SEIKA!!!" 

This time he saw her hesitate at the mouth of the portal. _Just a little more and I can push her out of the way._ Seika turned her head slightly in his direction, and when she saw him she almost jumped in surprise. 

"Yue?" 

He could swear she had said his name, but he couldn't hear it unless he chose to slow down, which he didn't want to. 

'So you do care after all', she seemed to be saying to him as she smiled gently at him. All at once, it made Yue think of why he was even bothered going after her, and why it mattered to him so much. He slowed down, and for the first time since Seika came, he began to take in her flawless beauty and her elegant and angelic image. Looking at her just hovering there with her outstretched wings was the most breath taking sight Yue could imagine. 

She left her position and was moving towards him when suddenly Yue heard a sinister laugh coming from the portal. 

"Get out of the way!" he yelled at her. His instincts were screaming at him at the sudden danger Seika was in. He grabbed hold of her hand, wanting to pull her close to him so that he could command a shield over them. 

"You won't get away from me," said Akuma, and in a blinding flash of light from the portal, Seika was gone. Her last expression was that of terror and she uttered a half-scream before vanishing right before Yue's eyes. 

Yue was speechless, staring ahead in disbelief. _I was just holding her hand_… 

There was nothing he could do now, and never had he felt more helpless. He couldn't go into the portal as it would be against Sakura's wishes, and going back to report to them would only delay rescuing Seika. But it wasn't as if he had a lot of choices to pick from. Forcing himself away from the portal and bearing the anguish he felt in his heart just then, he flew back. 

_What if she dies while I'm going back? _

_What if we don't make it there in time? _

_What if we can't find her? _

_What if something happens that could be stopped if I went after her? _

What if… what if… what if…

The anxiety was just killing him, and it took all of his willpower to focus on his duty and not to turn back impulsively. Despite his feelings, he had to face reality; there was nothing he could do for her now, except to get more help. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Tomoyo made sure the crowning touches of her costume was done before she stood back to admire her work. 

"Okirei desu!" she exclaimed in triumph, all starry-eyed with satisfaction. 

Sakura stood in her corner, blushing from ear to ear as she felt Syaoran's eyes on her. The new costume consisted of a figure hugging two piece toga dress, hanging on her shoulder by silken ribbons that extended to wrap around her slender exposed waist. The dress was cut diagonally from her upper thigh down, the fabric stretching to her ankle with a star dangling at the end. 

"You've been looking through those fashion magazines again, haven't you?" Sakura asked embarrassedly 

"Hai! Its so much easier to design beautiful costumes for you now that you look like the models in the magazine!" 

"But you don't HAVE to leave so… so many… HOLES in the dress!" Syaoran objected. His comment only made Sakura blush even harder. 

"Well Li-kun, I think she looks beautiful in it," said Tomoyo in response to his insult as she got out her video camera and pressed the 'record' button. 

"I DON'T!" Syaoran said impulsively before correcting himself when he saw Sakura's astonished look. "I mean, well what I wanted to say was that… Anou… Daidouji-san didn't need to make so many HOLES in the dress!" 

Sakura continued blushing, with the incredible feeling of just wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. True, she did like and appreciate Tomoyo's taste in the costumes she tailored for her, but when they got a bit too revealing (even though they were still beautiful), it made her feel rather shy going out to battle in them. 

"Mah mah Li-kun," said Tomoyo all-knowingly. "I bet you like her the way she looks in _that_ dress." With that came her trademark high-pitched laugh. 

"I do NOT like that dress at ALL!" 

"Oh but it does accentuate her body very well." 

_Sakura!_

"Hoe?" Sakura turned her attention from her bickering friends to the call of her name. "Yue-san, is that you?" 

"Aa," replied the currently very impatient sliver-haired Guardian who was waiting outside the huge windows whist Tomoyo continued her 'reasoning' session with Syaoran. 

"Well, where is she?" Eriol asked worriedly.

Yue looked down, unable to answer. 

"Oh no…" said Eriol with a look that told Sakura everything.

"We've got to go get her! NOW!" she said, urgency straining in her voice and she summoned her wand. "Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form to me! This, by the covenant, Sakura commands you! RELEASE!" The key whirled and extended to form the star staff while Syaoran called out his sword. The star staff glowed in her hands as Sakura focused on it, and then successfully transformed into its third form. Kero-chan and Suppi both transformed, allowing Sakura and the others to ride on their backs. 

"Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal thy true form to me. This by the covenant, Eriol commands you. RELEASE!" Eriol said as he grabbed his sun staff and hopped onto Spinel Sun's back. 

"Hurry up and get on," Sakura motioned to Syaoran as she got on Cerberus' back. Taking out a card from her bag, she called upon it, "THROUGH! Take us through the walls of this building and outside!" 

"Tomoyo-san, you can come with Spinel Sun and I," offered Eriol gently. When he saw Tomoyo hesitate, he added, "You can get better shots of Sakura if you ride with me." 

By the time Eriol had helped the dark-haired beauty on and she had her hands shyly around his waist, the Through card had made a portal through the wall, and the Sun Guardians flew through freely with Yue leading the group.

"CHOTTO MATTE!!!" whined Ruby Moon as she stood at the window, wingless and hopeless at getting across by herself. 

"Shouldn't we take her along?" Sakura asked Eriol. 

"She won't be of much help even if she were along," he said, knowing that her powers were linked to him. If he wasn't able to do anything in the other side, neither could she. 

"What happened, Yue-san?" asked Sakura as the Moon Guardian flew beside his brother. 

"I'm sorry Sakura-sama. If I had been there earlier, I could've stopped it." Yue said regretfully. "She disappeared." 

"But how?" 

"There was this bolt of what seemed like lightning, and then she was gone." 

"It has to be Akuma," Syaoran said.  
  
"Hm," Sakura nodded in agreement. 

They were fast approaching the portal. Just as Yue observed before, it was still well camouflaged, as if nothing had happened at all. Lightning in clear skies was most unnatural, and something about the atmosphere was making Sakura feel quite intimidated. 

"Sakura," said Eriol as they were just below the portal. 

"Hai. SHEILD! Form a barrier around us!" she called out, and immediately a spherical transparent shield enclosed over them. "Well, this is it!" Sakura said, smiling unsurely at her friends. 

"Aa," said Eriol. 

"Sakura-chan gambatte," said Tomoyo worriedly, putting down her video camera. 

"Let's go," said Syaoran, and without further ado, they found themselves traveling through darkness to the unknown.

*~*~*~*~*

**Scribbles  
**Yuck. There's just so much dialoguegy crap in here that its enough to make you all @.@ after reading. The only reason it looks long is because of the many paragraphs which I decided to try out since that is what authors of books do. Of course, it looks rather weird when it's all stretched out on a computer monitor instead of on a small book page, and somehow this chapter doesn't come off as nicely as I wanted it to either. Argh my writing skills are just going down the drain. 

This is the first draft so do excuse the mistakes while I'm rather lazy to re-read through at 3am. FF.net took a really long break... so this was in storage for quite some time ^^6 oh well. Hope you guys still review _ 

If anyone is by any chance, curious about that dress Sakura was wearing in this chapter, I scanned a drawing I did of it and it can be viewed in my website. The link's in my authors info page. 


	15. Chapter 15: Eden

**Wandering Star  
Chapter 15**

Someone was calling her. 

His voice was the barest of whispers, and she could not make out any words, but she knew he was calling her. Gradually, she was gaining conscience, her body finally responding to the terrible ache she was feeling all over. Her muscles went into spasm, and she winced in pain. _What happened?_

Oh yes, now she remembered. It was all her fault, she should have just died rather than cause Yue to make sacrifices for her. And now he hates her for it. She lay on her side, bringing her knees up to hug them and whimpered. 

"Don't cry, love," the voice was audible now. 

She felt someone softly stroking the side of her face, his fingers barely touching the rim of her ear. Her eyes flew open when his hand continued to travel down her neck and shoulder, and she sat up. 

It was dark, and Seika could barely make out anything besides the faint outline of a person sitting next to her. She had been resting on his lap, she realised. Stunned and still in bodily pain from various injuries she knew she sustained during the journey; she asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you?" 

"Don't play games with me, Yumi. You know who I am," the person spoke, leaning forward at the same time to steal a kiss from her, his hand now resting on the back of her neck. 

Seika tried to pull away, confused and frightened, but his hand would not permit her to. He held her in position while his mouth explored hers with growing aggression. 

"Yamette!" she nearly screamed as she turned to the side, breaking off the kiss. She tried to get away, but her legs would not hold her. She collapsed, feeling helpless and extremely vulnerable, but most of all, she was frightened. 

"Why are you running away? Don't you love me?" Now his voice was starting to waver, as if he was unsure of himself. He was getting off the bed, moving towards her. Seika scrambled to get up, her eyes finally getting used to the darkness, and she looked around frantically for the door. 

"Yumi," he called, "don't run from me. Please don't force my hand on you." 

As soon as she got on her feet, she felt her hands being pulled behind her and her ankles locked together, causing her to trip and fall again. There was an invisible force binding her wrists and her legs. _Escape escape escape… But how? _She was lying back down on her side, and she knew he was coming. 

She was trembling with fear. Seika had no idea where she landed herself in. This wasn't how things looked when she left Eden, and she hadn't the faintest idea where she was right now. Who was Yumi, and why was this person, whoever he was, calling her by that name? Her head was beginning to ache too, and she groaned. She wanted to get up and fight, but she felt drained of energy and her binds were too strong. She could feel them bruising her skin as they tightened around her delicate joints. 

Seika shut her eyes tightly when she felt him turn her over on her back. "I don't want to hurt you, love," he spoke gently, but that didn't stop her from shivering as she felt his breath on her neck, and his lips lightly brushing over her collarbone. 

Her breath was coming in gasps, and her muscles were tense, causing her more pain to her badly injured body. When his tongue dipped into the hollow between her collarbones, she shrieked and squirmed out of his hold. 

With all of the strength she had left, she screamed as loud as she could, "YUE!!!" 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Hoe?? Koko wa doko?" Sakura asked in puzzlement as she took in the surroundings. She was feeling slightly tipsy, for the journey had not been smooth at all. They were tumbled and tossed in all directions, and she was most fearful that they would lose each other before it was over. However Eriol had made yelled at them to hold hands, and they were able to draw close together. The Guardians then covered them with their wings protectively as they descended. Thankfully it ended before Sakura barfed. Her mind was swirling and all she could think was, 'hoe!' [koko wa doko: where is this place] 

Dusting off his pants, Eriol straightened up and looked around. He heard a soft moan beside him, and looking down, he saw that Tomoyo was trying to get up… with a twisted ankle. 

"Tomoyo!" he exclaimed as he bent down to help her up. 

"Tomoyo-chan!" cried Sakura, hurrying towards Eriol who had lifted Tomoyo in his arms. "Daijoubu?" she asked worriedly. 

"Hai," Tomoyo blushed, thrilled that Eriol was carrying her. "Daijoubu, Sakura-chan," she smiled in encouragement, "I must have been careless when I landed. Demo this means I can't film you anymore," she said in disappointment. 

Sakura tried to hide her embarrassment. She could never understand her friend's obsession. "Tomoyo-chan, you'll have to stay with Eriol-kun and – " 

"Minna, mittekuru!" Syaoran interrupted. [Everyone, look!] 

It was dark, very dark. Even the light from the moon felt like it was shining hesitantly; ready to fade behind a protective layer of clouds at any moment. Mother nature seemed to have deserted the land, for they were standing on barren hard ground. Beyond them was a thicket of coarse black thorn bushes. They were huge, and they certainly looked sharp, almost like a natural barbwire. 

"Hoe!" Sakura cried with realisation that they were standing in the middle of the thicket itself. The protective force field she had cast upon them probably disintegrated the thorns growing in the area that they landed, creating the circle of smooth concave land that they were standing on. "What is this place?" she asked, leaning into Syaoran for protection. 

"I believe this is Seika's home," said Eriol, before he shook his head and changed his mind. "Iya, this _was_ Seika's home. Something happened here that changed this place into what it is now. Yue, can you get above and see if there is any sign of civilisation?" [Iya: no] 

Obediently, Yue flew up, his eyes were used to such darkness being the Moon Guardian. They glowed as he looked in the distance. There was a fog building up, and if they expected to get anywhere, they had to do it soon. 

"There is a fortress ahead," he announced, pointing in the direction of the dark and looming structure a few miles from where they were situated. "The fog thickens. We have to hurry." 

"Hai," said Sakura. She and Syaoran quickly got on Cerberus while Eriol carefully placed Tomoyo in front of him, making sure he held onto her firmly before both Sun Guardians ascended. 

Yue was right, the fog was getting thicker by the minute, and even as they were closing in on their destination, it was getting increasingly difficult to see where there were going. Sakura was half afraid that Cerberus would crash into something. 

Peering through the dark grey blanket of mist, Sakura could just about make out the dark fortress. It had towers; four of them to be exact, and black stone walls. The exterior look was definitely daunting. She wondered what kind of place this was. Eden indeed. 

"Tomeru!" Yue's order pierced through the air and the Sun Guardians following him jerked to a halt, the force created by the flapping of their wings dispersing the thick mist clouding their vision to reveal the black walls of the fortress a few feet ahead. [Tomeru: stop] 

Sakura was about to call upon the 'Through' card, but Eriol stopped her. "Let me handle this," he said with his calm and carefree disposition, "you need to save your energy for later." 

He held up his sun staff and directed it at the wall, while his eyes were closed in concentration. Gradually, a gap in the wall came into view. Its diameter grew consistently until it was big enough for everyone to fit through. How he managed to do it, Sakura had no idea. She had yet to master controlling her cards without having to call them out. 

Cautiously, the Sun Guardians flew in first, followed by Yue. Tomoyo gasped, while Sakura cried out her trademark exclamation. Nothing they had seen so far of this world had prepared them for the sight in front of them. 

Behind the gloomy walls of the fortress was a garden more beautiful than anyone's wildest imagination. Strangely, the sky was no longer dark, and the sun was shining down on them warmly and invitingly. The gorgeous rays of light touched everything, bringing every leaf, every flower, every nook and corner of the magnificent garden worthy of the name 'Eden' into view. There was a cool breeze sweeping through the garden, touching their faces as softly as butterfly kisses. Lush greenery covered the ground and everywhere they looked, there was a tree, a bush, a flower or a bud. It seemed like all the plants of the world were brought into this place. Fruit trees were in sight as well, fresh and ripe offspring hanging from their branches temptingly. 

Yue was the only one frowning. He wasn't the least bit impressed by this show of flora and fauna. It would only make it more difficult to find Seika in this mess, he concluded grimly. It would suit him better to tear a house apart looking for her than to tediously run a search party through such a place. He growled in frustration, and then found himself startled by his vehemence to find Seika. No, it wasn't so. He couldn't be so possessive. Possessiveness only came when you were in love, and he was NOT in love with her. No, he told himself again. He was loyal to Clow. 

Then why was he cursing himself for having let her slip out of his hands? Why did he feel like giving himself a good kick for not being able to get her out of harm's way? Why did he feel like it was his fault? And damn it, why was he so worried for her safety? 

The ground rumbled under them, bringing Yue out of his thoughts and getting his senses back into action just in time to hear a faint call. Straining his ears, he realised it wasn't a call; it was a scream, and a desperate one at that. 

"Seika wa komatteiru!" he said, wasting no time in looking for the direction of the scream for help. [Seika's in trouble] 

"Chotto matte!" Sakura called out to him, a split second before a flash of red shot through the air. Yue managed to dodge it by a few inches. 

"What the hell!" he cursed, quickly losing patience. This was no time for distractions. Seika was in danger. The mysterious beam charged at him again, and again he narrowly dodged it. "Show yourself, you coward!" 

A shrill cry tore through the air, and the group had to cover their ears to avoid being driven deaf. In a burst of light, they came to face with a phoenix. It was the size of a gigantic bird, and fire licked at their skin with every flap of its wings. 

"Sakura!" Eriol yelled for her attention. "I'll take care of this. You go with Shaoran and Yue to rescue Seika!" 

"Take care of Tomoyo!" Sakura said worriedly before Cerberus veered to the side and went around the huge bird. 

Eriol silently acknowledged her plea, knowing that Tomoyo was probably safer with him anyway. Sakura didn't know what she was up against, and Eriol feared for her. However there was nothing he could do to protect her from Akuma. All he could do was hope and pray that she was strong enough to see her way through, for he was powerless against that devil. The reason was simple: his powers were almost useless against Akuma's. There must have been some link Clow had to this creature, because they shared the same power. 

He turned his attention back to the flaming bird, while ordering Tomoyo to hold on tightly to him as he began his attack. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Akuma was far beyond angry. He was livid, and his face was getting darker by the minute as proof. She refused him again. After all that he did for her, after all that he went through to get her back, and after all he did to try and win her affections. Why getting rid of that damned Clow was chicken feet compared to how difficult she was being. 

He sighed, feeling slightly guilty for hitting her. He was resting in the chair adjacent to the bed where he had laid her after she passed out. He never meant to hurt her, but she was screaming so loudly that he lost himself in anger and lashed out at her to silence her. No, he definitely never meant to hurt his little angel. Yet the memory of her screaming another man's name made him grip the armrests of the chair so tightly that the leather tore. Damn, now he'd have to replace the chair. It wasn't the first time, and he was getting tired of replacing furniture that he destroyed accidentally. He hated wasting magic on repairing them. It made no sense. Magic should only be used for battle, for conquests, and for victory. 

Oh yes, he loved that word. Victory. The sound of it sent a shiver down his spine and he grinned menacingly. He was the victor, and he would get anything he wanted. And what he wanted now was Yumi. He looked at her as she lay resting on the bed. She looked so pure and perfect, just the way she had been through all the years. She hadn't changed a bit. At one point of time he thought he might have killed her, when she foolishly stepped in front of Clow to defend him. 

_Well, she's alive, that much was obvious_. He must have been using her as a distraction, he decided. She couldn't have died; Clow would have never allowed that to happen. He was furious when he learned that she was still alive, and that he had let himself be tricked by that good for nothing son of a bitch. He was distracted, and he'd almost lost the battle because of that. 

It didn't matter though. He had won the war. 

Now all he had to do was claim his prize. 

_Shiokawa Yumi._

Her name was enough to send him into childish daydreams like a silly little schoolboy. She was his; he knew it the moment he laid eyes on her. It was his birthright, and no one could take that away from him. He'd fought tooth and nail for her, and there was no way he was going to give up. He would gain all the power in the world to impress her. Already he'd conquered Eden. All the kings were under his control, ready to carry out his bidding at any time. On top of that, he'd just breached a way into a new dimension. _Yes, that'd definitely impress her._

There were some surprises though. He thought he had eliminated all there was of Clow, yet it seemed he was still in existence in this alternate world. That wasn't much of a problem though. Already he could tell that this sorceress was weaker than him._ Much weaker in fact, _he added. 

Why Yumi had attacked him came as a surprise though. He didn't expect her to be so powerful, nor as violent as she was. No, he must have been mistaken. His lovely angel was a thing of delicacy. Clow must have possessed her and used her to attack him. 

"That sore loser," Akuma muttered. _So his spirit was back to haunt me?_ That was fine with him. Yumi was his to take, and no one was going to stop him. 

Suddenly a shrill cry rang through the air. 

"Damn it," he cursed. That bird was doing it again. Why he chose the stupid phoenix for his Sun Guardian, he had no idea. He must have been stupid back then too, he concluded, to have made such a flaw in his decisions. But he wanted to save his powers, and taking control of a creature was far easier than creating one. He hated to admit it, but Clow's guardians were indeed a remarkable pair. 

"What is it now?" he shouted into the hallway when he threw open the door of the room, nearly ripping it off the hinges. He managed to stop himself in time. He really had to control himself, however the thought of his growing strength brought an arrogant and smug smile to his face that he quickly wiped off at the sound of the servant scurrying down the corridor. 

Sheepishly, the little runt appeared before him, trembling and shaking at the knees. He had the head of a beast, and a rather hideous-looking one too. His body was that of a feeble and half-starved little boy though, skin and bones. That's what he did to all those who defied him. He merely gave them a little 'plastic surgery' to correct their rebelliousness. Next, he had rationed their food supply so that they were too weak to fight back. Oh yes, he was a smart one. It didn't take him long to break their will. 

"Well?" he said expectantly with growing irritation that he didn't bother to hide from the filthy little servant. 

"A-A-Akum-m-ma ssss-sa-ma," he managed to sputter out while Akuma rolled his eyes. He didn't know why he even bothered with them. They were obviously brainless to begin with and of no use. But since he had already wasted precious power changing their appearance so that they became ashamed of themselves and frightened of him, he decided to put them to use anyway, even if they annoyed him still. 

"There h-have b-b-been intrud-d-ders m-master." 

"Intruders?" Akuma could already feel the rage building up within himself. How dare anyone challenge him? He pushed the squealing little runt out of his way, sending him flying down the corridor back where he came from. 

No, it cannot be. He'd been careless again, he realised. Now that his senses were fully alert, he was shocked that he didn't feel it before. The presence of him was so disgusting that it was almost like a pungent vapour hanging in the air. _Clow_, he sneered. 

The dead should stay in their graves, he thought. Then he smiled to himself. _No, perhaps it would be more fun to put him back in his grave again_. There was a glimmer in his eyes as he snickered at the idea. 

Yes, that would definitely be much more fun. 

*~*~*~*~* 

**Scribbles  
**Finally! An update! YES! 6 months of rotting and finally the story moves on a bit XD My sincerest apologies to those who have waited patiently for this chapter ^^6 I know I've probably lost a lot of readers anyway. However, I am not about to let this story go to waste. A lot of time an effort was put into creating the plot, and I don't want to let anyone down. 

Exams had taken over for a bit, and there was also a huge inspiration drought ^^6 

Well anyway, about this chapter, it might seem a little bumpy, or maybe it doesn't flow so well from the 14th chapter. I AM trying to get back on track _ I hope it doesn't sound too awful. As usual, feedback is appreciated. Arigatou for reading thus far, minna-san ^^ 

I haven't edited this yet and it's the first draft so you might find grammatical errors and stuff like that. Forgive my sloppiness and you can chose to inform me through a review of any changes I need to make. 


End file.
